Start your morning off right with a 5K run!
Amidst the Bonnet Creek nature preserve is Golf Magazine’s prestigious, “Top Courses You Can Play,” – The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club. Visually stunning and immensely playable, our Par 72 golf course is enhanced by natural elements like majestic cypress trees lining the fairways and features a five-tee system to accommodate golfers of every caliber.
Sharpen your swing on the very same courts where Grand Slam Champions - including Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova - have played. Ranked as a Top 50 Best Tennis Resort Worldwide, The Grand Cypress Tennis and Racquet Club is your chance to enjoy world-class tennis facilities, in a luxurious resort setting.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 550 feeding partners in six Central Florida counties.
GreenUp Orlando program was created in 1985 to increase the City’s available tree canopy and to improve the appearance of our community.
Center to help struggling families lift themselves out of poverty. Includes a cost-share grocery store, employment center, and clothing closet.
Furniture and clothing bank for economically distressed families – the only center of its kind in Central Florida.
Works to improves public education by providing resources and surplus materials free to teachers for their students in need.
Receives soap and hygiene products from area hotels and recycles it to give to developing countries where clean hands save lives.
Start the Annual Conference off right with a pre-Conference spa treatment. Specific spa services and times will be arranged later and paid directly to the Spa after treatment.
Guest option for Spa Day is also available from the Guest Only Event options towards the end of the registration process.
Start the Annual Conference off right with a pre-Conference spa treatment. Specific spa services and times will be arranged later and paid directly to the Spa after treatment.
Join other women in the industry for an hour of fun networking.
Come meet your local chapter – you do not need to be a current member to attend.
Meet for cocktails and get to know the other guests! (cash bar only)
Join us as we kick off the Annual Conference with the announcement of the winners of the 2015 CLM Professionals of the Year Awards followed by Keynote speaker Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst.
Network with other attendees at the Welcome Dinner and journey around the globe through Cuisine, Good Company and Interesting Cocktails! Touches of the different destinations accent food stations and come to life through activities and performances. (included in the registration fee)
Insurance company CEOs join us for a dynamic panel session. The CEOs will share their industry insights and the impact those will have on the claims and litigation management fronts. No topic is off limits as this panel delves into industry innovations, trends and challenges.
Enjoy a scenic Boat Tour, Lunch at Chez Vincent and Shopping along Park Avenue.
Discuss a practical approach to difficult mediations through role play. The panel will also discuss ethical issues, such as full disclosure, limits of confidentiality and expectations of procedural fairness. The group will also explore creative solutions to impasse caused by difficult parties and large numbers of participants.
Excess insurance claims present unique and challenging coverage issues for claim resolution professionals. This roundtable will discuss both practical and specific considerations for excess insurance claims, including excess insurance contract interpretation and follow-form policy interpretation. The session will also address the duties of underlying insurers to excess carriers and the potential challenges and conflicts that may arise between the primary and excess carriers when handling and/or settling a claim that may that often arise when the excess policy is potentially implicated.
The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as “Obamacare,” can effectively be used in personal injury cases to reduce damage exposure. Whether “Obamacare” is treated as a collateral source, or instead is considered on the issue of the reasonable cost of care, it is a weapon that defendants have in their arsenal, and should be deployed in appropriate circumstances.
With increasing pressure for early and efficient resolution, this session will examine creative approaches and techniques for successful outcomes in high exposure Employment Practices Litigation (EPL) claims. The interactive session will explore practical steps to manage litigation risks and lower expenses to ensure that high exposure employment claims are resolved in the most efficient manner.
Discuss the behavior science behind why claimants make decisions to settle or try a case. Discussions will include why injured plaintiffs are really unique investors who cannot afford any risk with their settlement funds. Various elements of market volatility and risk will be discussed, as well as other preferred methods for negotiating cases with structured settlements, special needs trusts, and life insurance. Learn the latest negotiation techniques using these products and services to increase claim savings and outcomes.
Construction defect and construction product claims present complex challenges in the claims and litigation process. The implementation of Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs) by the insurance industry was an attempt to streamline and manage these claims. However, OCIPs present various challenges in both the legal and claims handling mechanisms. This program will cover practical tips on how OCIPs can be best administered to maximize their utility and efficiency in resolving claims.
Do you see the older generation as workaholics who are never satisfied? Do you see the younger generation as unmotivated and undedicated to their jobs? This session will address the differences between millennials and baby boomers in their approach to and attitudes about work. It will also explore the ways in which the two groups can better understand and respect each other and grow healthy work relationships .
While mold claims and litigation exploded well over a decade ago, and policy exclusions for fungi and bacteria are now common, claims and litigation associated with the presence of Category 3 Black Water, have increased exponentially, to the point that there are more claims for Category 3 Black Water than mold. Failure to address these claims head on can potentially result in litigation regarding bad faith, the incorrect application of sub-limits or failure to exclude coverage resulting in significant costs to remediate. This roundtable will discuss the definition of all types of water damage, environmental testing necessary to support these claims, as well as provide litigation case studies where these claims have arisen.
Environmental claims, litigation, and operational issues have been plaguing real estate and development projects for years, resulting in delays, cost overruns, and third-party exposures. Many properties built in the late 1960s and 70s are now obsolete and the resultant renovation or demolition is uncovering hazardous materials and environmental challenges. New materials not addressed in the 80s and 90s are now being regulated. This session will explore how these issues can be identified and properly addressed. We will discuss the insurance policies available to cover environmental risks and how to maximize insurance recovery, explain how the risks can be mitigated and claims avoided, and describe steps that can be taken in preparing and defending an environmental claim or litigation, if one arises.
This is an interactive discussion focusing upon the United States Supreme Court's decision in Daimler AG v Bauman, 134 S.Ct. 746 (2014), and its potential reshaping of personal jurisdiction. This case affects litigation involving foreign parties, corporations, or litigation with international elements.
Starting Oct 1, 2015, the Commercial Repayment Center (CRC) began processing conditional payments in conjunction with the Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC). Learn the distinction of which contractor will handle your conditional payment claim and why. Information will be provided on the background of the CRC, how it is compensated, and what other activities they conduct on behalf of Medicare that could lead to further enhancements to the services being provided to CMS. Find out the reason for increase use by CMS of Conditional Payment Notices (CPNs), and how they are different from Conditional Payment Letters (CPLs) and more importantly, whether a settlement, judgment or award is determinative of responsibility to pay.
This session will explore failure modes and root causes of equipment, machinery, vehicles and mechanical systems. The failure of a system or component can manifest in many different ways but ultimately a human somewhere was involved. A theory will be proposed that every failure happens because someone somewhere has done something wrong or failed to do what was necessary. The validity of the theory shall be debated.
Like most professionals, the roles and exposures of design professionals continue to morph and change. Design/Build projects led by the builder rather than the designer are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Claims professionals and counsel experienced in defending design professionals and evaluating coverage will discuss the impact on project discussions, E&O coverage and other developing topics related to architects and engineers.
Most internal departments are not large enough to handle the volume of UM, small balance, denial, stall and complex claims that require added time and expertise. The world of subrogation is a balancing act, with many competing interests that insurers need to consider. Internal productivity increases when Firm’s outsource questionable claims and do not have employee’s work time consuming unprofitable accounts. This session will provide tips on how to overcome denial and stalling tactics to increase internal collections. We will also target which claims to outsource including where and when to place them along with selecting agencies and/or law firms to their recovery strategy.
From Active Park Assist to driverless cars, the spectrum of potential technological advances coming to an automobile near you range from the seemingly benign to yesterday’s science fiction. Those working in insurance claims and litigation will need to understand these upcoming advanced vehicle systems in order to anticipate their potential impacts and evaluate them within the context of their responsibilities.
The session will specifically focus on the cost effective and timely settlement of property damage events using a management approach case study and discussion centered on efficient handling of general liability claims. The session will emphasize coordination of service partners to this end.
In this litigious age, insureds often allege bad faith for strategic purposes when their insurance claim does not go exactly how they would like. However, even when an insurance company does everything right in handling a claim, seemingly innocuous aspects of claim handling can create risk factors for potential bad faith exposure. In this interactive session, we will look at the critical moments in the life of a claim and analyze the potential bad faith exposures that can result. We will define the meaning of bad faith, and then discuss how conflicts of interest, lack of objectivity in handling claims, claim file documentation issues, and over-delegation can be used by insureds to advance a bad faith claim.
This session will focus on the exponentially growing global concerns surrounding fraud claims that insurers and corporations alike are facing on a daily basis. Through a detailed factual presentation of three real life case studies, this group will promote extensive discussions and collaborations designed to not only outline the problem but also to pinpoint precise and successful measures to counteract this epidemic.
This session will discuss the benefits to the insured, insurer and counsel in the use of process mapping and project management. We will discuss how to devise a road map to lead to more meaningful and cost effective handling of claims. This discussion will focus not only on the insurer implementing these strategies in its day to day operations but counsel as well. We will focus on a logical flow for handling claims that is consistent and that strives to acheive the desired outcome in the most efficient manner.
The world is still getting its head around cyber threats – with companies scrambling to protect their data and implement damage control when it is lost. With the Internet of Things (IoT) and the number of internet connected devices multiplying exponentially, the potential impact is no longer simply on data but has begun to impact the physical. The President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisor Committee found that compromise or malfunction of IoT devices could have National Security and Emergency Preparedness implications. IoT connected hardware, utilities and even vehicles are now vulnerable. Join us as we discuss the liability implications and how the claims we are handling today could be impacted by The Internet of Things.
Separate professional and commercial line claims will provide the backdrop for this discussion of the practical considerations involved in handling “mixed” claims. The two case studies will highlight considerations associated with an insured’s right to independent counsel, counsel’s reporting obligations to both insured and insurer, and the tension that can develop in satisfying counsel’s duties to each. Both counsel’s ethical obligations and fair claims handling practices will be emphasized.
A panel of insurance commissioners will discuss some of the major issues facing the insurance industry today. Topics include international and federal influences, cybersecurity, price optimization, and other emerging developments. The commissioners will offer their views on how to address the challenges posed by these emerging issues, and share their thoughts on how regulators and industry can cooperate to achieve the optimum outcome for all stakeholders.
Dive into a discussion about the interaction of the mediator with counsel and parties. Discuss the emotions of the mediation process, with a focus on the emotions and issues that take place behind closed doors in the plaintiff's room.
Although often overlooked, jury selection is the final frontier for claim resolution professionals to control a claim's trajectory. While much of a claim resolution professional's trial preparation is focused on trial reporting guidelines, expert opinions, judicial profiles, trial budgets, and other important functions, the selection of a jury to decide an insured's fate is crucial to a successful outcome. In this interactive session, a multi-million dollar, catastrophic injury jury trial will set the background for an in-depth discussion of whom you want deciding the value of a large loss claim and how to frame the case from the outset to prevent a runaway jury.
Utilizing recent real world examples and years of crisis response experience, examples and the methodologies will be employed to demonstrate how to respond to a crisis to protect the corporate image and product or service integrity. The session will also discuss how to substantially reduce the cost and expenses of resolving the aftermath favorably by controlling claims and efficiently managing litigation.
Explore the issues from the data breach on the infamous Ashley Madison website and discuss whether Ashley Madison can be held liable for various injuries that occurred to its customers in the aftermath of a cyber attack. We will also explore various employment, cyber security, and privacy related aspects of the breach, and discuss potential shareholder actions deriving from the scandal.
A recent ABA study on Women in the Profession reported that men appear as lead counsel in 76% percent of those civil litigation cases that identify a lead counsel. The disparity is even greater in representation by firms in the AmLaw 200 and Small Private Firm categories. This roundtable seeks to discuss and brainstorm the ideas and steps to improve such statistics. While not denying their existence, the group seeks to focus on concrete positive steps for individual success rather than discuss issues of social factors and bias. We will discuss perspectives on what the industry values in selecting lead and trial counsel and how female attorneys can demonstrate thpse industry competencies and values.
Even more reliable than eye witness testimony and surveillance video, genetic testing and DNA analysis can outright disprove a plaintiff's theory or possibly be a basis for a strong defense. The session will address types of litigation employing these techniques, information that can be harvested, court approval, expert analysis/cost and drawbacks. A case study will presented regarding the recent use of genetic testing performed in a case where the decedent was allegedly exposed to benzene in the course of his employment.
In the last year, insurers have seen a rising number of first party lawsuits from non-insureds due to post-loss assignment of contractual rights to strangers to the insurance contract. As a result, insurers face potential exposure to inflated indemnity claims, extra-contractual or double indemnity damages as a result of assignments to which they did not consent. This rountable will explore the reasons behind this emerging trend, the effectiveness of the anti-assignment clause in the insuring agreement, and strategies for insurers to deal with such claims.
This session will address recent developments in coverage for intellectual property claims, implicating personal and advertising injury (CGL), media liability, and cyber policy forms. This is a rapidly developing area of law and subject of some of the most high-profile coverage litigation in the country today. The session will start with an intermediate-level introduction to the available coverage forms and the most commonly litigated issues, and then proceed to a case-study analysis of three recent high-profile cases: Sony v. Zurich; In re NCAA Student-Athlete Name and Likeness Licensing; and Columbia Casualty v. Cottage Heath System.
This roundtable examines how identity theft/cyber security breaches affect auto and property insurance fraud cases and how current technological advances can shape and shift current laws that help in defending, investigating, and litigating fraud.
The relationship between a primary carrier, an excess carrier, the insured and counsel can become complicated and contentious. Issues such as choice of counsel, the desire of multiple parties to have their lawyer try the case and the role of monitoring counsel can become distractions to the preparation of a high exposure case. Handled differently, the various voices can blend to provide stronger representation and new perspectives to benefit the client. This group will discuss the real life pitfalls and solutions to this process, including the how, when and why to switch trial counsel, the benefit of early intervention by the excess carrier, the often complex issues of notice to the excess carrier and strategies to keep the focus on the common goal, a successful resolution for the client.
At least 23 states have legalized medical marijuana. Many of these eligible patients not only hold medical marijuana cards but also full and part time jobs. This session will discuss the issues surrounding medical marijuana use and the workplace. Special attention will be directed to the similarities and differences between the laws of the states with anti-discrimination language; unique issues faced by employers in certain sectors – municipal employers, safety-sensitive positions, professionals, and employers in multiple jurisdictions; reasonable accommodations – if required and the types of accommodations; and other potential issues that arise with legalized marijuana.
This session will discuss the evolution of the EPL product. We will discuss where we are going as a market segment, what is new and evolving in coverages, including what remains as uncovered exposures by certain markets. We will debate certain coverage issues and discuss other insurance products with arguably overlapping coverages. We will also discuss the pros and cons to the duty to defend or duty to indemnify alternatives and which may be appropriate based upon the client, pricing, industry segment and geographic locations. Finally we will discuss where alterative coverages/markets are available for certain types of exposures such as Wage and Hour and Punitive Damages.
Concussion litigation is a major issue in the news. A new Will Smith movie appropriately entitled Concussion premiered in December 2015. This session will discuss recent trends in concussion litigation facing public entities and their insurers. We will also cover the growing issues around Right to Play laws and the methods sports leagues and municipalities can protect themselves from suit. In addition, we will examine underwriting concerns relating to concussions issues and risks. We will also discuss juror views relating to high contact sports and those who participate in activities where injury is a certainty. Finally, we will look at the medicine behind concussion diagnosis, testing and prevention.
Companies often obtain policies with large self-insured retentions (SIR) or deductibles, to defray the cost of insurance or keep control of claims. Many issues can arise within the SIR/deductible that require careful analysis and navigation for our clients and carriers. Our roundtable will educate the audience on the statutory and case law relevant to determining the duty to defend and indemnify when the client/insured cannot satisfy the SIR/deductible, and will provide strategies in navigating the common issues.
Expert Testimony is a critical component of proving and winning your case. This session will focus on how to evaluate the far-fetched expert and tools used to investigate the credibility of the witness. We will examine situations where expert witness testimony may be excluded and the reasons for exclusion, as well as overall credibility of the experts. Attorneys will learn the necessary tools to investigate the merits of the expert's opinion and methods to discover impeachable areas of the witnesses' background and qualifications. Claim resolution professionals will learn how to better gauge the value of the plaintiff's claim so decisions to defend at trial or early resolution can be made.
Catastrophic explosions often involve extensive property damage, significant business interruption and bodily injuries. Strong leadership and solid investigation maximize recovery opportunities. This session discusses best practices for effectively investigating explosion losses, developing viable recovery theories for causation and contributory causes for failed protective systems exacerbating the explosion loss.
As litigation costs are increasing, parties are looking at alternative dispute resolution. However, deciding whether mediation, arbitration or litigation is the most advantageous way to resolve a potential or pending dispute is not as straightforward as it may initially seem. This session will discuss evaluating a construction claim to determine whether to mediate, arbitrate or litigate a claim including the various arbitration and mediation clauses in construction contracts. We will also discuss effective advocacy of a construction claim in mediation, arbitration and litigation.
We have all seen the claims of contamination of drinking water wells and other waters, such as agricultural water, by production water and drilling wastes created by the drilling of oil wells and hydraulic fracturing or fracking. This session will discuss what is required to defend against such a claim from both a legal and a scientific perspective, as well as what goes into valuing such a claim from an insurance perspective.
The world of telemedicine is expanding at a rapid rate. The benefits of telemedicine are many and include improved access to information, provision of care not previously deliverable, improved access to services, greater convenience and increased quality control. Some of the disadvantages include a breakdown in the relationship between the health care professional and patients and a breakdown of the relationships between professionals. This session will discuss these benefits and disanvantages, as well as insurance coverage for such care, in addition to varying government regulations and confidentiality concerns along with growing concerns that protected health information systems may be breached.
This session will focus on expert analysis of cyber and data privacy risk and how the insurance industry and outside counsel work together to assist insureds in mitigating the inevitable. The panel will discuss underwriting concerns, risk assessment, insurance coverage, event response and litigation of cyber claims.
A discussion about the increase of liability for third party violence and criminal acts. With a new report of gun violence in the news on a near daily basis, companies and their insurers will be faced with third party and first party liability claims as well as regulatory actions. This session will provide a discussion of the increase in liability for third party criminal acts and the sharp increase in costs for security other preventative measures.
This session will examine various ownership and management structures to explore how property and claim ownership may not always overlap. We will discuss how to assess, verify, and challenge the validity and scope of a Plaintiff's assertion of standing to raise claims, and the legal, practical, and insurance implications under various insurance programs. We will also debate the cost/benefit from the perspective of the liability defendant, claims representative, insurer, as well as the impact of standing issues on the negotiation and litigation of the overall case, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of challenging standing at the inception versus at the settlement negotiations and/or trial stage.
Mediation has become the most popular ADR technique. This roundtable will dissect the mediation process, and focus on the development of techniques and strategies to increase its success and efficiencies.
Know when to deploy attorneys and investigators to serious accident and fire sites to coordinate the overall investigation, gather appropriate evidence and materials, assist with the overall investigation, and control the potential exposure if a suit is commence. We will discuss how to assemble the appropriate team, when it is a good time to have a rapid deployment, and what are the issues faced with the client, the carrier, and the attorneys.
This roundtable will address managing product liability exposure in construction litigation. Although sometimes intertwined with faulty workmanship, product manufacturers, suppliers and distributors have unique exposure created by the strict liability, breach of warranty and negligent design and manufacturing claims that they face. The panel will discuss the classic battle between an installer and a product manufacturer/supplier. Defense and coverage strategies will be explored.
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. When most people hear the word talc, they think about baby powder. While this may sound harmless, one should never underestimate the creativity of the asbestos plaintiffs' bar. With so many traditional defendants filing for bankruptcy protection in the face of seemingly never-ending asbestos litigation, plaintiff attorneys have set their sights on companies that either mined, manufactured, or distributed products with asbestos-containing talc. We will discuss the science behind the allegations concerning asbestos-containing talc, the types of products potentially implicated, recent verdicts, and strategies for defending your talc client. So join us for this lively discussion and let's talc!
Examine current trends and identify the means to maximize valid privilege claims. Distinctions between factual investigation and strategic legal analysis will be explored. Distinctions between first party and third party claims and the resultant impact on privilege will be evaluated. Examples of successful (and unsuccessful) assertions of privilege will be analyzed. The group will also examine the discovery treatment of reserves and underwriting materials.
Builder's risk claims are often complex, involving a variety of issues and requiring multiple areas of expertise. Managing a builder's risk claim requires an understanding of the policy, an investigation into the cause of the loss and extent of the damage, the retention of the proper experts, and an analysis of the policy coverage, exclusions and valuation provisions in light of the results of the investigation. This session will feature a hypothetical builder's risk claim, which will allow the audience to discuss, debate, and work through the issues that arise in a builder's risk claim.
Examine some of the costliest and creepiest insurance fraud cases over the course of the last year to discuss what classic types of insurance fraud continue to plague carriers and law enforcement alike, what types of fraud claims are trending or emerging, and the tools and techniques that were used in the detection and prosecution of these noteworthy and often notorious claims.
Insurers are honing their panels – often times refining them to include key partners and proven practice area experts – in order to best manage their claims litigation activities, with an eye towards tightly controlling legal spend and strengthening relationships with key firms in critical practice areas and jurisdictions. This session covers key concepts and practices that can inform and mold advanced panel management and performance management initiatives. We will explore how measuring firm performance using a holistic mix of objective and subjective data is a key factor in successful panel management.
Have you made clear to your counsel what you want and /need from them? Do the claims professionals that counsel deal with always understand what counsel needs? Have both sides explained what counsel is expected to do (and not do)? This is more than simply sending out (and agreeing to adhere to) billing/claim handling guidelines. This speaks more to the elements of this relationship that are crucial to make the overall results achieved – qualitatively, quantitatively, strategically, and economically beneficial. This roundtable discussion will explore both sides of these issues, presented in a point/counter point format.
Your plane has landed at your connection, you check you messages. The FBI has arrived at your office and the company needs to know what to do. This roundtable will discuss how to handle crisis situations where a wrong move can potentially cost a lot of money or even have criminal repercussions.
This session will focus on the handling, evaluation and defense of traumatic brain injury claims from the time of the loss through trial. We will address steps corporate employees can take at the time of loss to assist in the defense of such claims, the evaluation of traumatic brain injury claims by claims adjusters once the loss is reported, and the need for various experts to assist in the defense of litigated TBI claims.
This roundtable will discuss the basics of the plaintiff bar's reptile program, and assess verdicts reported by the reptile program as reptile verdicts. The group will discuss whether a reptile effect was present or not based on analysis of the facts, liability, and damages. Participants will be provided background facts of 2015 Reptile verdicts and asked to assess verdict ranges and comparative fault. Participants will assess whether verdicts were within ranges expected or whether a reptile enhancement of the verdicts in each case was present, and what can be done to offset such tactics by claim resolution professionals and defense counsel.
Consumers are increasingly health-conscious about the consumption of food and nutritional products. This translates to immense growth within the nutritional supplement, nutraceutical, and specialty food markets. Manufacturers and distributors have responded to the nutritional and environmental/preferences of their consumers. We can expect a corresponding increase in claims/litigation. This session will address parallels and differences with traditional pharmaceutical litigation.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau came into effect in 2010, with its enforcement division ramping up over the last year. The CFPB's regulatory arm will have a significant impact in the professional liability world, and for the first time since its inception in 1974 there will be significant RESPA oversight. RESPA extends to settlement service providers and prohibits certain financial kickbacks among these providers. To date, there has been more than $55 millions in fines ordered for RESPA violations (mostly in the last 12 months) and with a new office opening on the west coast, those fines could double and/or triple over the next year. Standard E&O policies do not cover fines and penaltie (leaving huge exposure for the insured) and have limited sub-limit coverage for the retention of an attorney to defend regulatory matters. The session will focus on risk reduction analysis for those professionals facing CFPB scrutiny and assess how the CFPB will affect future E&O policies and coverage as this regulatory body continues to expand its reach.
As a claim resolution professional or defense attorney involved in professional liability claims, there may be times when you are confronted with claims involving clear misconduct, credible allegations of fraud, intentional misconduct, or otherwise malicious and utterly indefensible behavior. When confronted with these claims, you will immediately face potential coverage issues, regulatory concerns, and ethical concerns and considerations with regard to the tripartite relationship, as well as moral concerns with regard to defending and protecting the individuals/entities alleged to have been involved in same from exposure. Managing these various issues and concerns can be a delicate balancing act, requiring a careful consideration of the issues presented on multiple levels, and creative litigation strategies. This session will explore the moral, ethical, and strategic considerations to be balanced in successfully handling the seemingly indefensible professional liability claim.
Avoiding High Stakes Penalties and Loss of Government Contracts: An in depth discussion of the complex web of OFAC and BIS regulations, compliance, penalties and enforcement that can snare even the well informed. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security advances U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic objectives by ensuring an effective export control and treaty compliance system. Penalties and settlements in 2015 already total $270,000,000. CLM participants will receive practical tips, best practices and solutions from three different perspectives on how to identify, avoid and/or reduce risk, maintain compliance, and mitigate potential penalties.
This session will discuss how to most effectively use ACA to reduce Plaintiffs claims in personal injury litigation. We will provide a plan to defend against claims for future medical costs and loss of health insurance.
We will discuss the nature of cyber risk and hear how policyholders plan, prevent, protect and detect unauthorized access to data. We will explore the mechanics of data breach response and how different situations warrant different responses. Finally, we will explore legal issues that arise and how cyber claims are generally handled.
This session will focus on how even the most challenging and catastrophic cases can be effectively managed and ultimately litigated. The first step to successfully combat any catastrophic claim is to retain qualified local counsel, investigators, and experts. Attendees will leave with a practical and useful understanding of who to retain to internally control and manage information; to mitigate potential media exposure; to alert primary and excess carriers in a high exposure cases; and to mitigate damages by loss transfer.
Many jurisdictions have enacted legislation to minimize recoveries to the claimant’s bar in workers' compensation claims. The plaintiff’s bar has sought to maintain its revenue stream by filing suits against the employer outside the workers' compensation system. Traditionally, the workers' compensation laws in the various states afforded virtually complete protection against such litigation through the exclusive remedy doctrine. The roundtable will trace the expansion of traditional exceptions to the exclusive remedy doctrine (third-party liability, dual capacity and intentional torts) to litigation centered on violations of the RICO Act, OSHA violations, bad faith claims handling, violations of various state constitutional or statutory provisions, workplace violence and retaliatory discharge.
Thanks to Laverne Cox, the first Emmy-nominated transgender actress in the TV show Orange is the New Black, issues affecting transgender individuals, including workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation, have come to the forefront of employment litigation. This session will examine potential EPL issues likely to face employers of transgender individuals, including common pitfalls and their potential ramifications. The session will also address claims handling and coverage issues that may be involved in these types of cases.
The legal services industry is presently on the cusp of incorporating macro analytics and performance statistics as both a predictive and an evaluative tool in the field of litigation management. This probing session will explore the cutting edge ways in which these new and transformative approaches will profoundly affect counsel, clients and the profession alike in the coming years both in terms of the way services are performed and the way in which they are measured/purchased.
New technology and business enterprises, including ride-sharing, Airbnb, legalized marijuana, Bitcoin, drones, self-driving cars, and cybersquatting are presenting new issues for the industry. This session will cover insurance coverage and litigation issues associated with these new businesses.
How can law firms and insurance carriers build and maintain better partnerships? Does use of technology and metrics translate to a more valuable partnership? To what extent should the services of law firms be considered a commodity? Participants in this roundtable discussion will have the opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts and ultimately walk away with valuable ideas to implement in their own businesses.
Crucial to successful claim handling and eventual litigation is understanding the key facts in a case. Through this session, we will discuss the essential information to be gathered through an incident report from both the claims and litigation perspectives, as well as how this information affects the path of a claim. Specific attention will be given to special concerns for premises liability, transportation claims, retail/hospitality claims, and claims involving minors, as well as spoliation of evidence.
Address the practical and cost-effective steps that a company (and its legal counsel) can take now that will not only minimize the threat or likelihood of a cyber event, but that will also ensure the company is better prepared to manage a cyber event. The discussion will focus on areas such as employee training, cost-effective strategies for handling technology-related matters, ensuring that business contracts provide appropriate protection, and other best practices and preparedness techniques. This session will also discuss the formation of an emergency response or breach team, including who should be part of that team and the steps that such a team must take in response to a cyber event.
This session will explore the tripartite relationship between the insurer, insured, and counsel. We will use a case study to show how easy it is to forget whose interest is paramount. The session will address the ethical issues that arise when defending pursuant to the terms of an insurance policy. We will discuss the duty to the client, potential conflicts of interest, the role of the insurer, TPA and counsel from the inception of the claim through trial. This session will also review the contractual relationship between the parties,confidentiality and ethical considerations. Both personal and corporate interest will be discussed.
Consent judgments are on the rise in construction defect cases because the standard operating procedures for insurers upon receipt of a direct tender is to issue a boiler plate reservation of right letter. In days gone by, reservation of rights letters served to protect the insurer from uncovered claims and inform the insured about available coverage. The contrary is now true. In certain jurisdictions, providing a defense subject to a reservation of rights serves as a bad faith trigger and results in unanticipated and unintended exposure to the insurer. This session will provide a multijurisdictional overview of consent judgments.
Due to challenges and issues facing our industry as it pertains to bad faith claims, this roundtable will share insights from various points of view into recent case law affecting the scope of discovery as it pertains to bad faith claims, highlighting court decisions broadening the scope of communications and information protected by attorney client privilege and the work product doctrine. Specifically, courts have been narrowing the scope of an adjuster's testimony during depositions and limiting the scope of claims manuals and training materials that may be discoverable. These recent decisions are extremely advantageous to those defending bad faith claims.
Recent decisions have expanded insurance coverage available for liability acquired in the course of mergers and acquisitions. Our roundtable will dicuss thoughts on managing this emerging risk given the wave of consolidations in the business world.
Insurance fraud is at an all-time high. There is no better example than Dr. Farid Fata, the Michigan oncologist convicted of misdiagnosing hundreds of patients to defraud insurance companies. Fortunately, he was caught. We will explore creative ways to expose fraud in the pre-suit stage to reduce litigation costs, and examine innovative 3D technology, which has the potential to undermine the over reading of MRIs.
In an age of data transparency, new analytic tools and e-billing data allow carriers and panel counsel to assess performance, efficiency, severity, and strategy across all lines of litigation. There are a gamut of metrics, and everyone is asking for them. We will identify the most useful metrics and analytical approaches to data, and processes put in place that led to reduction in litigation spend, yielding budget improvements, efficiency and compliance with client guidelines. The session will map out the critical metrics and how they may be used to realize claim inroads.
Data breaches are commonplace, as is the litigation that follows. It is critical to use the attorney-client privilege to protect information generated before and after breaches. That information – including spontaneous emails and texts – often memorializes problems before breaches and during the scramble fix them. As a result, this information is targeted in discovery by adversaries, who want to turn these often-unflattering documents into exhibits and leverage to exact large settlements. Our roundtable will discuss practical tips to help use the attorney-client privilege to protect this information from disclosure.
Religious Institutions are unique in the eyes of the law and, correspondingly, require leadership and counsel that understand these distinctions. In the context of employment discrimination litigation, the ministerial exception applies to shield religious institutions from scrutiny in their employment-based decisions when the employee in question is expected to personify the institution's religious beliefs. Participants will review the current state of the law by examining decisions applying the ministerial exception since SCOTUS 2012 Hosanna-Tabor decision. The group will discuss whether the exception strikes a proper and workable balance between autonomy in employment based decision-making and employee protections and how the law affects internal decision making.
In today's round-the-clock news environment, public entities and businesses face challenges when addressing the media following crisis or catastrophic events. The public wants to know, and the press will ask. How the responses are framed can be informative and reassuring; or they can be haphazard and inconsistent. The responses may also have direct impact on legal liability issues in litigation. This session will offer attendees actual case examples of crisis events that involved media interaction between the entities or businesses, and the responses—good or bad, as well as, offer perspectives of different experiences in these type cases, and the legal liability ramifications and solutions.
This session is an introduction into reinsurance, the support provided to an insurance company (the ceding company) by the reinsurer and the complexities of the reinsurance coverage in the event of a large or complex loss, or an industry event. We will highlight why it is that reinsurance claims professionals are always the highlight of a party with interesting discussions that span our world of claims and insurance losses!
This discussion will focus on how these new legal concepts (via Supreme Court decisions and new legislation) will affect the way in which tort/injury/death claims may be evaluated in the future and the types of unique new claims we can expect. Now that same-sex marriage is the law of the land, that will obviously open up a new group of litigants in wrongful death cases, as well as consortium claims. With open carry, we may see a variety of new tort claims. Now that marijuana has been legalized in some states, there may be an increase in tort claims related to impairment issues. We will examine how new legislation and new laws have the potential to change the landscape of tort claims generally, so that claim resolution professionals and defense counsel can plan ahead for possible new issues and potential liability exposures.
Beginning in 2008, several mega law firms imploded. Law firm failures result from a variety of factors but are most common during troubled economic times. When a law firm collapses, state bar associations, receivers and bankruptcy trustees are tasked with the obligations to wind down and dissolve in an orderly fashion. The dissolution process is messy and further complicated by claims and ethical issues. This roundtable will examine the causes of collapse and the issues confronting the Receiver or Trustee in winding up the affairs of the law firm.
In today's global economy, with manufacturers and distributors located across the globe, effectively defending and tendering a product liability claim has become increasingly more problematic. Gaining the attention and cooperation of foreign manufacturers and distributors is often vital to a substantive defense of the design, manufacturing and failure to warn claims, and yet jurisdictional and cultural differences often impede the same, further affecting an insured's pure exposure and the ability to settle a claim. In this session, we identify these key challenges and explore practical resolutions, from both the risk management and claims handler perspectives, in order to reduce and/or eliminate exposure.
This course will examine the ethical pitfalls that claims professionals and defense attorneys can encounter when defending claims under eroding limits professional liability policies. We will discuss three scenarios with special consideration to the tensions arising between the insurer and the insured in these scenarios and whether certain practices can give rise to bad faith claims. Attendees will assume alternating roles as claims professionals, insureds and panel and personal counsel in several hypothetical exercises.
Medical care in workers' compensation often includes treatment not considered in a health insurance/non-litigation setting, for example compounded drugs focused on topical creams for pain management. The session will cover the practical use of treatment guidelines and other tools to see that necessary treatment is provided, while avoiding excessive or clinically inappropriate services. We will examine the use of outcome predictors to prevent medical practitioners from performing unnecessary and counterproductive treatments and surgeries. The discussion will focus on the various options for effectively using these predictors in litigated claims, thereby sparing the injured worker from the potential harm caused by such treatments and avoiding the unnecessary and often substantial expense.
The classification of owner operators as independent contractors of the motor carriers that dispatch them, is central to the business model of many trucking companies around the country. That model is now under siege. The Department of Labor recently issued a policy statement that declares most workers should be considered employees, and various think tanks and politically active entities have focused attention on the trucking industry as one in which misrepresentation is rife. Case law on the topic continues to be mixed and some companies have attempted to address the problem by moving from one state to another. We will look at the situation from various perspectives and in various contexts.
In a majority of states, a reservation of rights can cost the carrier the right to appoint panel counsel and thereby control the defense, often leading to problems with case evaluation, quality of representation, reporting, and increased expenses. This interactive discussion will focus on the factors that should be considered before issuing a reservation, what strategic decisions the insured and insurer should consider if a reservation is issued, and throughout the entire process, defining the role of defense counsel and the ethical issues they must confront all along the way.
With discovery being the most expensive and riskiest stage of any litigation, learning how to effectively manage the process can help control costs and reduce potential risk. The amount of data in question in today’s litigation can be overwhelming, and ensuring all data is properly collected and reviewed can be daunting. Don’t fear, we are here to discuss defensible processes for collecting and managing data, vendor and law firm selection, and procedures claim resolution professionals can implement with outside counsel for a consistent result.
Everyone welcome – you do not need to be a current committee member to attend.
Break out your favorite parachute pants and members only jackets – reception, dinner and live entertainment! (included in the registration fee)
Join us for an engaging session with Chief Claims Officers as we dive into the present and future of claims management and resolution. These top industry leaders will offer their candid thoughts on the state of claims management, trends in claims resolution, strategies for improving claims handling to obtain optimal results while reducing legal spend, and the rising impact of data analytics, alternative fee agreements and other litigation tools. This panel will provide the blueprint for those involved in all aspects of claims resolution.
Sharpen your claims resolution skills in this interactive session. Participants in will learn the facts of a slip and fall accident with a serious injury. Evidence needs to be preserved, statements taken, photographs and video. Claim resolution professionals must think on their feet and prepare for the inevitable claim to follow.
Using the backdrop of three hypothetical catastrophic events, we will explore what a company can do to prepare and react to such an event to protect the company from financial and reputation losses. The roundtable will discuss how to deal with the media to get the right positive message to the public, methods to improve the chances of preventing the event from reoccurring, and maintaining trust. They will also discuss communications with employees about the crisis' effect on their jobs.
This roundtable will focus on recent trends by carriers to hold their insureds accountable and present the defense of a claim as a team. Concepts discussed will include whether the law and/or the insurance policy itself require that the insured owes the carrier a duty to act in good faith, and If the insured fails to do so, resulting in the interference with the handling of the claim, then the carrier is legally entitled to damages. The session will examine how different jurisdictions have addressed this potential cause of action and whether the trends suggest that it will pick up momentum going forward.
This roundtable will offer perspectives on the exponential growth of assignment of benefit property claims, which arise most often in the context of wind, hail, and water damage. The group will draw on their diverse backgrounds to offer strategies for managing these challenging claims from initial intake through efficient resolution. In an interactive format, the group will discuss common assignment of benefit scenarios in various states, the prevention of fraud, effective enterprise-wide approaches, and emerging law as it relates to the rights of insured and assignees.
While fraud and theft have been around forever, the fast pace of technology has added new challenges. The good guys have historically played catch up and with the rapidly changing times in this social and technological era, the industry needs to keep abreast of the different faces of fraud and theft. In order to take appropriate measures to solve and guard against becoming victims, we need to collectively have the ability to first recognize and understand the problems. This session will address and discuss from the legal, insurance, investigative, and law enforcement aspects the current trends, their negative effects if ignored, and the preparation / education needed to effectively combat them.
Get ready to be amazed by the future of risk management! This session brings to us some of the most compelling and sophisticated technologies of today which will most likely be essential tools for the Risk Manager of 2025. Through role-play, this session will lay out business problems for the future risk manager and show how technology will assist with solutions.
There are many tools to consider when implementing a litigation management plan for your company especially if the focus is effective cost containment. One of the most significant issues is controlling legal and indemnity cost. This roundtable will discuss the pros and cons of each tool and the decision making process that should be reviewed before reaching a conclusion.
Defense counsel may define winning a case in terms of dismissals, defense verdicts, or settlements at the close of discovery. But claims managers concerned with the expense and length of litigation may have different objectives. As important as it may be to define our objectives, we often overlook this topic when cases are assigned. In this session, we will discuss differing definitions of winning from the perspectives of carriers, their policyholders and their counsel.
The key to any effective partnership between an insurer or TPA and the insured/customer is to establish and maintain a collaborative approach in identifying and implementing strategies that best advance the customer’s litigation needs pre and post suit. In doing so, the parties should discuss emerging practices and trends that may enhance the quantitative and qualitative oversight of firms and the customer’s litigation program. The focus of this session will be an interactive look at best practices and approaches from the Risk Manager and Insurer/ TPA perspectives.
This session will explore the types of claims that may be anticipated in the event of a cyber-breach incident that includes loss of client information that was entrusted to the professional. We will explore the impact on professionals of evolving cyber-breach litigation issues, such as whether each plaintiff must show individual, actual damages, the application of mass tort practice to data breach litigation and the extent to which plaintiffs can successfully pigeon hole their claims into existing privacy rights law or create privacy rights that were not previously recognized. The roundtable is intended to provoke creative discussion among participants engaged in cyber liability, professional liability or anyone with confidential data on their computer systems about the claims that may be anticipated in the event of a cyber-breach event.
This session will address alternatives to traditional workers' compensation and the exclusivity doctrine. A number of cases across the country have questioned these alternatives. The roundtable will address whether these options provide the competition needed to improve benefits to injured workers while balancing costs to employers. This session will explore how appropriate alternatives to workers' compensation can foster innovation and competition benefiting both injured workers and employers.
Courts are increasingly holding that store owners can be held liable for criminal acts of third persons on their property where the store owner had notice of prior criminal incidents occurring on their property. These claims can arise out of a multitude of relationships including: landlord – tenant, common carrier – passenger, rental car company – lessee, etc. What courts consider to be notice varies drastically between districts. This roundtable will focus on what constitutes foreseeability of third-party criminal acts and how to address a premise owner’s obligation to provide security.
Discussion will focus on new critical areas of product liability claims, especially developments in coverage issues. Topics will include a survey of the new ISO forms applicable to product liability claims, coverage issues for high-profile products (e.g., drones/UAS, 3-D printers, and autonomous vehicles) under new and existing standard forms, frequently litigated “number of occurrences” issue, and the challenges insurers face in recovering from third parties.
Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) create certainty, but can also raise important ethical issues for carriers and law firms. This roundtable will focus on current trends in the legal industry, in addition to successful ideas that are shaping AFAs from the perspective of insurance carriers, in-house counsel and outside counsel.
Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They persist generation after generation and play a key role in directing attitudes and behavior. Success comes to those who have the strength and presence of mind to seize opportunities. What do a cop, cowgirl, surfer, and astronaut have in common? They have taken stock of their family legacies and life experiences and dedicated themselves to developing character traits that have empowered and sustained them throughout their careers. This session will focus on leadership lessons that are timeless and universal. Women leaders in the risk management industry face the same hurdles that cops, cowgirls, surfers, and astronauts face. The same character traits that have served these women well will also serve women leaders today to navigate corporate culture and fulfill their career potential.
California has already licensed automated cars that have been involved in at least 11 accidents. Nevada has issued a license for an automated tractor trailer that promises to revolutionize the trucking industry. Warren Buffet has investigated whether automated vehicles would lead him to sell Berkshire Hathaway’s stake in Geico. The prospect of automated vehicles will have a massive impact on the insurance industry. This session will call upon the expertise of individuals in the automobile, insurance, and legal professions to explore the potential impact of automated vehicles on the insurance industry.
Disney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour highlights the fascinating history of Walt Disney World Resort and provides backstage access to secret areas of Magic Kingdom Theme Park. This approximately 3-hour walking tour explores the stories behind the remarkable creation and growth of Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and learn how his innovative ideas, revolutionary visions, creative philosophies and amazing accomplishments brought the Theme Park to life. The journey includes stops at backstage facilities and a variety of favorite attractions.
One unforgettable highlight is a trip below Magic Kingdom Theme Park into the service tunnels known as the Utilidors. This is one urban legend that is absolutely, and almost unbelievably, true—the Guest accessible areas of Magic Kingdom Theme Park are actually on the second floor of a massive structure. The first floor—called the Utilidors—allows Cast Members, deliveries and even trash to be unknowingly transported below Guests' feet as they wait in line for their favorite attraction.
Lunch is not included.
No one under 16 permitted.
Worlds apart from Orlando’s theme parks, but just a short drive away, Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s launch headquarters. Each year, millions of visitors make the trek to this hub of technology and discovery where many of mankind’s greatest accomplishments take place. Tour NASA’s launch and landing facilities, experience live shows and jaw-dropping encounters with massive rockets as well as have the opportunity to meet a real member of NASA’s Astronaut Corps. It’s all what you can expect during an inspiring day at Kennedy Space Center.
There is much to see and do at the Visitor Complex, from live action theatrical shows to an educational Astronaut Encounter briefing. View 10-story high rockets from all eras of space exploration in the Rocket Garden, walk through a full-size Space Shuttle mock-up, enjoy IMAX Theater space films on gigantic five-story screens and see an actual Gemini program capsule on display. Shopping and food concessions are also available here for your enjoyment.
Lunch is not included.
This tour actually begins en-route to the launch site, as “certified” Eco-Guide narrate the significance of this endangered backwater estuary, a wilderness waterway used by the indigenous Timucuan Indians during their winter hunting. The river is considered a sanctuary for the endangered West Indian Manatees, Bottled-Nose Dolphins, Florida Alligators, American Bald Eagles, Roseate Spoonbills, & Wood Storks; the list of birds & wildlife is huge. Guests take an easy paddle along the shore line of this protected, calm, inland water way from Manatee Cove to the estuary’s wild, uninhabited barrier island. Here we stop for an easy guided nature walk, paddling rest, and stretch before heading back. This is a wonderful adventure & educational experience for all to enjoy.
Lunch is not included.
Take a journey to find out what happens behind-the-scenes at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom! During this in-depth program, your guests get an insider’s look at conservation, animal nutrition and medicine, animal care, and behavioral studies. Highlights include visits to a backstage animal housing area, the Animal Nutrition Center, the Veterinary Hospital, and a special ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris. The majority of this program takes place behind-the-scenes- there may be no opportunity to view animals. Please note: no photos will be allowed in behind-the-scenes area.
Kilimanjaro Safari: Climb aboard the open-air safari vehicle for an incredible journey through more than 100 acres of African savannah, forest, rivers and rocky hills where hundreds of animals roam free. Unlike any experience this side of the equator, the Kilimanjaro Safari introduces your guests to the splendor and magnificence of creatures both large and small.
Lunch is not included.
No one under 16 permitted.
Amidst the Bonnet Creek nature preserve is Golf Magazine’s prestigious, “Top Courses You Can Play,” – The Waldorf Astoria Golf Club. Visually stunning and immensely playable, our Par 72 golf course is enhanced by natural elements like majestic cypress trees lining the fairways and features a five-tee system to accommodate golfers of every caliber.
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Sharpen your swing on the very same courts where Grand Slam Champions - including Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker and Martina Navratilova - have played. Ranked as a Top 50 Best Tennis Resort Worldwide, The Grand Cypress Tennis and Racquet Club is your chance to enjoy world-class tennis facilities, in a luxurious resort setting.
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Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is a private, nonprofit organization that collects, stores and distributes donated food to more than 550 feeding partners in six Central Florida counties.
Back to topWorks to improves public education by providing resources and surplus materials free to teachers for their students in need.
Back to topReceives soap and hygiene products from area hotels and recycles it to give to developing countries where clean hands save lives.
Back to topCenter to help struggling families lift themselves out of poverty. Includes a cost-share grocery store, employment center, and clothing closet.
Back to topGreenUp Orlando program was created in 1985 to increase the City’s available tree canopy and to improve the appearance of our community.
Back to topFurniture and clothing bank for economically distressed families – the only center of its kind in Central Florida.
Back to topStart the Annual Conference off right with a pre-Conference spa treatment. Specific spa services and times will be arranged later and paid directly to the Spa after treatment.
Guest option for Spa Day is also available from the Guest Only Event options towards the end of the registration process.
Join other women in the industry for an hour of fun networking.
Back to topPeter Bergen, CNN
Join us as we kick off the Annual Conference with the announcement of the winners of the 2015 CLM Professionals of the Year Awards followed by Keynote speaker Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst.
Back to topNetwork with other attendees at the Welcome Dinner and journey around the globe through Cuisine, Good Company and Interesting Cocktails! Touches of the different destinations accent food stations and come to life through activities and performances. (included in the registration fee)
Back to topElizabeth Haar, AF Group
Jerry Hamilton, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP
Thomas Motamed, CNA Financial Corporation_11137
Jane Tutoki, Sedgwick Board
Richard Whitt, Markel Service, Incorporated
Insurance company CEOs join us for a dynamic panel session. The CEOs will share their industry insights and the impact those will have on the claims and litigation management fronts. No topic is off limits as this panel delves into industry innovations, trends and challenges.
Back to topJoan E. Cochran, Cochran Davis & Associates, P.C.
Steven DiSiervi, Abrams, Gorelick, Friedman & Jacobson, LLP
Amanda Gann, Good2Go Auto Insurance
Allen Hurkin-Torres, JAMS
Michele Newman, Hamlin & Burton Liability Management, Inc.
Discuss a practical approach to difficult mediations through role play. The panel will also discuss ethical issues, such as full disclosure, limits of confidentiality and expectations of procedural fairness. The group will also explore creative solutions to impasse caused by difficult parties and large numbers of participants.
Back to topKay Baxter, Foley & Mansfield, PLLP
Jeanine Clark, Margolis Edelstein
Chris Reilly, North American Risk Services NARS
David Zehner, Zehner Trial Consulting
This is an interactive discussion focusing upon the United States Supreme Court's decision in Daimler AG v Bauman, 134 S.Ct. 746 (2014), and its potential reshaping of personal jurisdiction. This case affects litigation involving foreign parties, corporations, or litigation with international elements.
Back to topTara Acton, Lumen Technologies, Inc.
Cliff Connor, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Katie Fox, Verisk
Monika McDonnell Boswein, Acuity Insurance
Starting Oct 1, 2015, the Commercial Repayment Center (CRC) began processing conditional payments in conjunction with the Benefits Coordination & Recovery Center (BCRC). Learn the distinction of which contractor will handle your conditional payment claim and why. Information will be provided on the background of the CRC, how it is compensated, and what other activities they conduct on behalf of Medicare that could lead to further enhancements to the services being provided to CMS. Find out the reason for increase use by CMS of Conditional Payment Notices (CPNs), and how they are different from Conditional Payment Letters (CPLs) and more importantly, whether a settlement, judgment or award is determinative of responsibility to pay.
Back to topDebra Levy, Sedgwick
Marques Torbert, Ametros Financial Corporation
Bill Wakelee, Chronovo
Richard Woollams, Self Employed
Discuss the behavior science behind why claimants make decisions to settle or try a case. Discussions will include why injured plaintiffs are really unique investors who cannot afford any risk with their settlement funds. Various elements of market volatility and risk will be discussed, as well as other preferred methods for negotiating cases with structured settlements, special needs trusts, and life insurance. Learn the latest negotiation techniques using these products and services to increase claim savings and outcomes.
Back to topMichael Daoussis, Wells Fargo Insurance Services
Fred Perez, McLarens Global Claims Services
Linda Pretzel-Roberts, RiverStone Resources LLC
Brenda Radmacher, Akerman LLP
Construction defect and construction product claims present complex challenges in the claims and litigation process. The implementation of Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIPs) by the insurance industry was an attempt to streamline and manage these claims. However, OCIPs present various challenges in both the legal and claims handling mechanisms. This program will cover practical tips on how OCIPs can be best administered to maximize their utility and efficiency in resolving claims.
Back to topAmy Cooper, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Hedy Linette Ranieri, Berkley Life Sciences and Berkley Technology Underwriters
Richard Ranieri, Weber Gallagher Simpson Stapleton Fires & Newby LLP
Do you see the older generation as workaholics who are never satisfied? Do you see the younger generation as unmotivated and undedicated to their jobs? This session will address the differences between millennials and baby boomers in their approach to and attitudes about work. It will also explore the ways in which the two groups can better understand and respect each other and grow healthy work relationships .
Back to topWilliam "Chip" D'Angelo, Self Employed
Anthony Polini, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
Tracy Alan Saxe, Saxe Doernberger & Vita, P.C.
Max West, Aon
Environmental claims, litigation, and operational issues have been plaguing real estate and development projects for years, resulting in delays, cost overruns, and third-party exposures. Many properties built in the late 1960s and 70s are now obsolete and the resultant renovation or demolition is uncovering hazardous materials and environmental challenges. New materials not addressed in the 80s and 90s are now being regulated. This session will explore how these issues can be identified and properly addressed. We will discuss the insurance policies available to cover environmental risks and how to maximize insurance recovery, explain how the risks can be mitigated and claims avoided, and describe steps that can be taken in preparing and defending an environmental claim or litigation, if one arises.
Back to topTamara Ashjian, NAS Insurance
Tracey Dodd, Sedgwick
Richard E. King, Melchiode Marks King LLC
Stephen Truono, NFI Industries
While mold claims and litigation exploded well over a decade ago, and policy exclusions for fungi and bacteria are now common, claims and litigation associated with the presence of Category 3 Black Water, have increased exponentially, to the point that there are more claims for Category 3 Black Water than mold. Failure to address these claims head on can potentially result in litigation regarding bad faith, the incorrect application of sub-limits or failure to exclude coverage resulting in significant costs to remediate. This roundtable will discuss the definition of all types of water damage, environmental testing necessary to support these claims, as well as provide litigation case studies where these claims have arisen.
Back to topJill Daly, Tokio Marine HCC
Haralyn Isaac, Great American Insurance Group
Steve Lokus, Navigators, A Brand of The Hartford
Patrick Mendes, Tyson & Mendes LLP
Howard Passin, Lockton Companies, LLC
Separate professional and commercial line claims will provide the backdrop for this discussion of the practical considerations involved in handling “mixed” claims. The two case studies will highlight considerations associated with an insured’s right to independent counsel, counsel’s reporting obligations to both insured and insurer, and the tension that can develop in satisfying counsel’s duties to each. Both counsel’s ethical obligations and fair claims handling practices will be emphasized.
Back to topDavid Cutter, Clyde & Co
Adam Doherty, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
Megan Scully, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
In this litigious age, insureds often allege bad faith for strategic purposes when their insurance claim does not go exactly how they would like. However, even when an insurance company does everything right in handling a claim, seemingly innocuous aspects of claim handling can create risk factors for potential bad faith exposure. In this interactive session, we will look at the critical moments in the life of a claim and analyze the potential bad faith exposures that can result. We will define the meaning of bad faith, and then discuss how conflicts of interest, lack of objectivity in handling claims, claim file documentation issues, and over-delegation can be used by insureds to advance a bad faith claim.
Back to topClarence Lee, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP
Heidi McCormick, Ironshore Insurance Company
Cheryl Renfer, Ironshore Insurance Company
Excess insurance claims present unique and challenging coverage issues for claim resolution professionals. This roundtable will discuss both practical and specific considerations for excess insurance claims, including excess insurance contract interpretation and follow-form policy interpretation. The session will also address the duties of underlying insurers to excess carriers and the potential challenges and conflicts that may arise between the primary and excess carriers when handling and/or settling a claim that may that often arise when the excess policy is potentially implicated.
Back to topMark Dolin, Kopka Pinkus Dolin
Courtney Flanagan, Farm Bureau Insurance of Michigan
Luis Flores, Crane Engineering
This session will focus on the exponentially growing global concerns surrounding fraud claims that insurers and corporations alike are facing on a daily basis. Through a detailed factual presentation of three real life case studies, this group will promote extensive discussions and collaborations designed to not only outline the problem but also to pinpoint precise and successful measures to counteract this epidemic.
Back to topHans Bengard, Onit, Inc.
Heather Connor, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC (MGC)
Taylor Smith, Suite 200 Solutions
Daniel Winkler, Westfield Insurance
This session will discuss the benefits to the insured, insurer and counsel in the use of process mapping and project management. We will discuss how to devise a road map to lead to more meaningful and cost effective handling of claims. This discussion will focus not only on the insurer implementing these strategies in its day to day operations but counsel as well. We will focus on a logical flow for handling claims that is consistent and that strives to acheive the desired outcome in the most efficient manner.
Back to topThomas Dawson, TD&P Consulting
Stephanie Holzback, AIG
Douglas Horelick, Clyde & Co
Carmella Limongelli, Ringler
Richard Montes, Mauro Lilling Naparty
The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as “Obamacare,” can effectively be used in personal injury cases to reduce damage exposure. Whether “Obamacare” is treated as a collateral source, or instead is considered on the issue of the reasonable cost of care, it is a weapon that defendants have in their arsenal, and should be deployed in appropriate circumstances.
Back to topTrevor Arnold, Crawford Global Technical Services
Chelsea Pyasetskyy, The Thenell Law Group
Shawn Ray, J.S. Held
Brian Yarbrough, Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection & Insurance Company
This session will explore failure modes and root causes of equipment, machinery, vehicles and mechanical systems. The failure of a system or component can manifest in many different ways but ultimately a human somewhere was involved. A theory will be proposed that every failure happens because someone somewhere has done something wrong or failed to do what was necessary. The validity of the theory shall be debated.
Back to topKevin Fisher, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
Amy Fredericks, Self Employed
Crystal Ivy, AmTrust Group
Michael Saucier, Libby, O'Brien, Kingsley & Champion LLC
Stefani Schwartz, Self Employed
Patrick White, Kershaw White
With increasing pressure for early and efficient resolution, this session will examine creative approaches and techniques for successful outcomes in high exposure Employment Practices Litigation (EPL) claims. The interactive session will explore practical steps to manage litigation risks and lower expenses to ensure that high exposure employment claims are resolved in the most efficient manner.
Back to topMelanie Brown, Munich Re US
Janet R. Davis, Cozen O’Connor
Donna Hunt, Ironshore Insurance Company
Laurie Randolph, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP
Like most professionals, the roles and exposures of design professionals continue to morph and change. Design/Build projects led by the builder rather than the designer are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Claims professionals and counsel experienced in defending design professionals and evaluating coverage will discuss the impact on project discussions, E&O coverage and other developing topics related to architects and engineers.
Back to topRich Lenkov, Downey & Lenkov LLC
Michelle Middendorf, Stanley Steemer International, Inc.
Joe Skinger, CorVel Cost Containment
Eric Spalsbury, Stanley Steemer International, Inc.
The session will specifically focus on the cost effective and timely settlement of property damage events using a management approach case study and discussion centered on efficient handling of general liability claims. The session will emphasize coordination of service partners to this end.
Back to topJim Donelon, Louisiana Department of Insurance
Fred Karlinsky, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Mike Kreidler, Washington State Office of Insurance Commissioner
Jim Ridling, Alabama Department of Insurance
A panel of insurance commissioners will discuss some of the major issues facing the insurance industry today. Topics include international and federal influences, cybersecurity, price optimization, and other emerging developments. The commissioners will offer their views on how to address the challenges posed by these emerging issues, and share their thoughts on how regulators and industry can cooperate to achieve the optimum outcome for all stakeholders.
Back to topMercedes Betanco, Wawanesa General Insurance Company
Natalie Mansour-White, National Commercial Services
Kevin Price, Mokri Vanis & Jones LLP
Most internal departments are not large enough to handle the volume of UM, small balance, denial, stall and complex claims that require added time and expertise. The world of subrogation is a balancing act, with many competing interests that insurers need to consider. Internal productivity increases when Firm’s outsource questionable claims and do not have employee’s work time consuming unprofitable accounts. This session will provide tips on how to overcome denial and stalling tactics to increase internal collections. We will also target which claims to outsource including where and when to place them along with selecting agencies and/or law firms to their recovery strategy.
Back to topSteve Garner, Westfield Insurance
Gregory Hirtzel, Fowler Hirtzel McNulty & Spaulding, LLP
Steven Schorr, DJS Associates, Inc.
From Active Park Assist to driverless cars, the spectrum of potential technological advances coming to an automobile near you range from the seemingly benign to yesterday’s science fiction. Those working in insurance claims and litigation will need to understand these upcoming advanced vehicle systems in order to anticipate their potential impacts and evaluate them within the context of their responsibilities.
Back to topBrian Bornstein, AIG
Bob Bowman, The Wendy's Company
Bruce Raymond, Raymond Law Group LLC
Howard Shafer, Shafer Partners, LLP
The world is still getting its head around cyber threats – with companies scrambling to protect their data and implement damage control when it is lost. With the Internet of Things (IoT) and the number of internet connected devices multiplying exponentially, the potential impact is no longer simply on data but has begun to impact the physical. The President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisor Committee found that compromise or malfunction of IoT devices could have National Security and Emergency Preparedness implications. IoT connected hardware, utilities and even vehicles are now vulnerable. Join us as we discuss the liability implications and how the claims we are handling today could be impacted by The Internet of Things.
Back to topKay Anderson, Self Employed
Bradley Hansmann, Brown & James, P.C.
Joshua LeHew, Sentry Insurance A Mutual Company
Lisa Rolle, Traub Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry LLP
Dive into a discussion about the interaction of the mediator with counsel and parties. Discuss the emotions of the mediation process, with a focus on the emotions and issues that take place behind closed doors in the plaintiff's room.
Back to topLance Albright, QBE Insurance
Robert J. Barth, Barth NeuroScience
Christopher Fusco, Callahan & Fusco, LLC.
Laura Zehner, Zehner Trial Consulting
Concussion litigation is a major issue in the news. A new Will Smith movie appropriately entitled Concussion premiered in December 2015. This session will discuss recent trends in concussion litigation facing public entities and their insurers. We will also cover the growing issues around Right to Play laws and the methods sports leagues and municipalities can protect themselves from suit. In addition, we will examine underwriting concerns relating to concussions issues and risks. We will also discuss juror views relating to high contact sports and those who participate in activities where injury is a certainty. Finally, we will look at the medicine behind concussion diagnosis, testing and prevention.
Back to topNick Alvarez, McLarens Global Claims Services
Daniel Bean, AvalonBay Communties, Inc
Traci Gill, Markel Service, Incorporated
Traci Lagasse, Andrews Lagasse Branch & Bell LLP
Kenan Loomis, Cozen O’Connor
Companies often obtain policies with large self-insured retentions (SIR) or deductibles, to defray the cost of insurance or keep control of claims. Many issues can arise within the SIR/deductible that require careful analysis and navigation for our clients and carriers. Our roundtable will educate the audience on the statutory and case law relevant to determining the duty to defend and indemnify when the client/insured cannot satisfy the SIR/deductible, and will provide strategies in navigating the common issues.
Back to topRobert Alpert, ICALM Group
Thomas Best, Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
Elizabeth Ganiere, McDermott
John MacNaughton, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP
Utilizing recent real world examples and years of crisis response experience, examples and the methodologies will be employed to demonstrate how to respond to a crisis to protect the corporate image and product or service integrity. The session will also discuss how to substantially reduce the cost and expenses of resolving the aftermath favorably by controlling claims and efficiently managing litigation.
Back to topCarrie L. Ciliberto, Self Employed
Francine Giugno, Kelley Kronenberg
Barbara Laskaris-Lorigan, Golden State Claims Adjusters
David M. O'Connor, O'Connor & Associates, LLC
Lee Wright, Tokio Marine HCC
As litigation costs are increasing, parties are looking at alternative dispute resolution. However, deciding whether mediation, arbitration or litigation is the most advantageous way to resolve a potential or pending dispute is not as straightforward as it may initially seem. This session will discuss evaluating a construction claim to determine whether to mediate, arbitrate or litigate a claim including the various arbitration and mediation clauses in construction contracts. We will also discuss effective advocacy of a construction claim in mediation, arbitration and litigation.
Back to topJoe DePaul, Willis Towers Watson
Elissa Doroff, Mosaic Insurance
Cathleen Rebar, Rebar Kelly
Brian Robb, CNA Insurance
Zach Scheublein, Aon
This session will focus on expert analysis of cyber and data privacy risk and how the insurance industry and outside counsel work together to assist insureds in mitigating the inevitable. The panel will discuss underwriting concerns, risk assessment, insurance coverage, event response and litigation of cyber claims.
Back to topMitchell Ayes, Callahan & Fusco, LLC.
Teresa Milano, Woodruff Sawyer
Jessica Thomas, Hand Arendall LLC
Jennifer Wojciechowski, Community Association Underwriters of America, Inc.
Explore the issues from the data breach on the infamous Ashley Madison website and discuss whether Ashley Madison can be held liable for various injuries that occurred to its customers in the aftermath of a cyber attack. We will also explore various employment, cyber security, and privacy related aspects of the breach, and discuss potential shareholder actions deriving from the scandal.
Back to topRima Ghandour, Ghandour Law
Karen Kalzer, Helsell Fetterman LLP
Mary Parme, Golden State Claims Adjusters
Erin Weatherspoon, Nationwide Insurance Company
A recent ABA study on Women in the Profession reported that men appear as lead counsel in 76% percent of those civil litigation cases that identify a lead counsel. The disparity is even greater in representation by firms in the AmLaw 200 and Small Private Firm categories. This roundtable seeks to discuss and brainstorm the ideas and steps to improve such statistics. While not denying their existence, the group seeks to focus on concrete positive steps for individual success rather than discuss issues of social factors and bias. We will discuss perspectives on what the industry values in selecting lead and trial counsel and how female attorneys can demonstrate thpse industry competencies and values.
Back to topTracey Dodd, Sedgwick
Adena Edwards, Starr Adjustment Services, Inc.
Christopher Hillsley, McGivney, Kluger, Clark & Intoccia, P.C.
Jared Shafer, Maron Marvel Bradley Anderson & Tardy, LLC
Even more reliable than eye witness testimony and surveillance video, genetic testing and DNA analysis can outright disprove a plaintiff's theory or possibly be a basis for a strong defense. The session will address types of litigation employing these techniques, information that can be harvested, court approval, expert analysis/cost and drawbacks. A case study will presented regarding the recent use of genetic testing performed in a case where the decedent was allegedly exposed to benzene in the course of his employment.
Back to topJoann Dickinson, Resolute Management Inc.
Rudy Perrino, Self Employed
Bryan Stringer, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.
We have all seen the claims of contamination of drinking water wells and other waters, such as agricultural water, by production water and drilling wastes created by the drilling of oil wells and hydraulic fracturing or fracking. This session will discuss what is required to defend against such a claim from both a legal and a scientific perspective, as well as what goes into valuing such a claim from an insurance perspective.
Back to topJoseph Cowan, Hand Arendall LLC
Johan Obregon, Kerley Walsh Matera & Cinquemani PC
Sean Reidy, State Farm
Randall West, AmRisc Group
In the last year, insurers have seen a rising number of first party lawsuits from non-insureds due to post-loss assignment of contractual rights to strangers to the insurance contract. As a result, insurers face potential exposure to inflated indemnity claims, extra-contractual or double indemnity damages as a result of assignments to which they did not consent. This rountable will explore the reasons behind this emerging trend, the effectiveness of the anti-assignment clause in the insuring agreement, and strategies for insurers to deal with such claims.
Back to topKathryn Guinn, Dentons
Catherine Lyle, Coalition
Antonio Trotta, QBE Insurance
This session will address recent developments in coverage for intellectual property claims, implicating personal and advertising injury (CGL), media liability, and cyber policy forms. This is a rapidly developing area of law and subject of some of the most high-profile coverage litigation in the country today. The session will start with an intermediate-level introduction to the available coverage forms and the most commonly litigated issues, and then proceed to a case-study analysis of three recent high-profile cases: Sony v. Zurich; In re NCAA Student-Athlete Name and Likeness Licensing; and Columbia Casualty v. Cottage Heath System.
Back to topDwight Geddes, Metro Claims & Risk Mgmt
Brett Kelley, Assurant
Charles Watkins, Kubicki Draper
This roundtable examines how identity theft/cyber security breaches affect auto and property insurance fraud cases and how current technological advances can shape and shift current laws that help in defending, investigating, and litigating fraud.
Back to topSamuel Carucci, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
Anna Fron, Infinity Insurance Company
Shaun Jackson, Panda Restaurant Group
Robert Tyson, Tyson & Mendes LLP
Although often overlooked, jury selection is the final frontier for claim resolution professionals to control a claim's trajectory. While much of a claim resolution professional's trial preparation is focused on trial reporting guidelines, expert opinions, judicial profiles, trial budgets, and other important functions, the selection of a jury to decide an insured's fate is crucial to a successful outcome. In this interactive session, a multi-million dollar, catastrophic injury jury trial will set the background for an in-depth discussion of whom you want deciding the value of a large loss claim and how to frame the case from the outset to prevent a runaway jury.
Back to topJoseph R. Fowler, Fowler Hirtzel McNulty & Spaulding, LLP
Lea Kapral, Acuity Insurance
Julie Oh, Airgas, Inc.
The relationship between a primary carrier, an excess carrier, the insured and counsel can become complicated and contentious. Issues such as choice of counsel, the desire of multiple parties to have their lawyer try the case and the role of monitoring counsel can become distractions to the preparation of a high exposure case. Handled differently, the various voices can blend to provide stronger representation and new perspectives to benefit the client. This group will discuss the real life pitfalls and solutions to this process, including the how, when and why to switch trial counsel, the benefit of early intervention by the excess carrier, the often complex issues of notice to the excess carrier and strategies to keep the focus on the common goal, a successful resolution for the client.
Back to topChristopher Hallman, TRI Pointe Group
Alan Packer, Newmeyer & Dillion
Mark Reynolds, Meritage Homes Corporation
Lisa Unger , Self Employed
This session will examine various ownership and management structures to explore how property and claim ownership may not always overlap. We will discuss how to assess, verify, and challenge the validity and scope of a Plaintiff's assertion of standing to raise claims, and the legal, practical, and insurance implications under various insurance programs. We will also debate the cost/benefit from the perspective of the liability defendant, claims representative, insurer, as well as the impact of standing issues on the negotiation and litigation of the overall case, and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of challenging standing at the inception versus at the settlement negotiations and/or trial stage.
Back to topIan Clarke-Fisher, Self Employed
Rachel Freedman, Sompo International Insurance
William Oberts, Tribler Orpett & Meyer, P.C.
Sarah Schmitz, Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions
At least 23 states have legalized medical marijuana. Many of these eligible patients not only hold medical marijuana cards but also full and part time jobs. This session will discuss the issues surrounding medical marijuana use and the workplace. Special attention will be directed to the similarities and differences between the laws of the states with anti-discrimination language; unique issues faced by employers in certain sectors – municipal employers, safety-sensitive positions, professionals, and employers in multiple jurisdictions; reasonable accommodations – if required and the types of accommodations; and other potential issues that arise with legalized marijuana.
Back to topDebbie Champion, Rynearson Suess Schnurbusch & Champion
David Glazer, Shafer Partners, LLP
Paula Letterman, American National Property & Casualty Company
Annissa Stanley, Metro Transit - Saint Louis
A discussion about the increase of liability for third party violence and criminal acts. With a new report of gun violence in the news on a near daily basis, companies and their insurers will be faced with third party and first party liability claims as well as regulatory actions. This session will provide a discussion of the increase in liability for third party criminal acts and the sharp increase in costs for security other preventative measures.
Back to topJulie A. Freitag, Navigators, A Brand of The Hartford
Nace Naumoski, Rebar Kelly
Chad Staller, The Center For Forensic Economic Studies
Expert Testimony is a critical component of proving and winning your case. This session will focus on how to evaluate the far-fetched expert and tools used to investigate the credibility of the witness. We will examine situations where expert witness testimony may be excluded and the reasons for exclusion, as well as overall credibility of the experts. Attorneys will learn the necessary tools to investigate the merits of the expert's opinion and methods to discover impeachable areas of the witnesses' background and qualifications. Claim resolution professionals will learn how to better gauge the value of the plaintiff's claim so decisions to defend at trial or early resolution can be made.
Back to topMercedes Colwin, Gordon & Rees LLP
Ron Goldstein, Aon
Dianna McCarthy, Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP
Martin Schnabel, Nationwide Insurance Company
This session will discuss the evolution of the EPL product. We will discuss where we are going as a market segment, what is new and evolving in coverages, including what remains as uncovered exposures by certain markets. We will debate certain coverage issues and discuss other insurance products with arguably overlapping coverages. We will also discuss the pros and cons to the duty to defend or duty to indemnify alternatives and which may be appropriate based upon the client, pricing, industry segment and geographic locations. Finally we will discuss where alterative coverages/markets are available for certain types of exposures such as Wage and Hour and Punitive Damages.
Back to topKarin Calimano, BayCare Health Systems
Gary Leonard, GB Specialty (Division of Gallagher Bassett)
Angela Russell, Wilson Elser
The world of telemedicine is expanding at a rapid rate. The benefits of telemedicine are many and include improved access to information, provision of care not previously deliverable, improved access to services, greater convenience and increased quality control. Some of the disadvantages include a breakdown in the relationship between the health care professional and patients and a breakdown of the relationships between professionals. This session will discuss these benefits and disanvantages, as well as insurance coverage for such care, in addition to varying government regulations and confidentiality concerns along with growing concerns that protected health information systems may be breached.
Back to topBrian Boardingham, AXA XL
Andrew Brooslin, FM Global
Raymond Charleston, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance
Russell Ogle, Exponent
Dean Rauchwerger, Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP
Catastrophic explosions often involve extensive property damage, significant business interruption and bodily injuries. Strong leadership and solid investigation maximize recovery opportunities. This session discusses best practices for effectively investigating explosion losses, developing viable recovery theories for causation and contributory causes for failed protective systems exacerbating the explosion loss.
Back to topRobert Freedman, Freedman Law Firm
Cynthia Khin, Berkley Life Sciences
William Lindsay, Lindsay, Pickett & Postel, LLC
Lisa Unger , Self Employed
Mediation has become the most popular ADR technique. This roundtable will dissect the mediation process, and focus on the development of techniques and strategies to increase its success and efficiencies.
Back to topPatrick Carroll, Aon
Adam Cohen, Davids & Cohen, P.C.
Brian Donnelly, Cullen and Dykman, LLP
Sean Downing, Steward Health Care System, LLC
Lisa Wilson, MiddleOak
This session will focus on how even the most challenging and catastrophic cases can be effectively managed and ultimately litigated. The first step to successfully combat any catastrophic claim is to retain qualified local counsel, investigators, and experts. Attendees will leave with a practical and useful understanding of who to retain to internally control and manage information; to mitigate potential media exposure; to alert primary and excess carriers in a high exposure cases; and to mitigate damages by loss transfer.
Back to topDouglas Gibson, MedPsych of Virginia
Janeen Koch, Kalbaugh Pfund & Messersmith PC
Melissa Welden, Central Mutual Insurance Company
Tracy Yaun, Central Insurance Companies
This session will focus on the handling, evaluation and defense of traumatic brain injury claims from the time of the loss through trial. We will address steps corporate employees can take at the time of loss to assist in the defense of such claims, the evaluation of traumatic brain injury claims by claims adjusters once the loss is reported, and the need for various experts to assist in the defense of litigated TBI claims.
Back to topChristine Bernstock, AECOM
James Tyrie, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP
William Wingertzahn, Sompo International Insurance
Know when to deploy attorneys and investigators to serious accident and fire sites to coordinate the overall investigation, gather appropriate evidence and materials, assist with the overall investigation, and control the potential exposure if a suit is commence. We will discuss how to assemble the appropriate team, when it is a good time to have a rapid deployment, and what are the issues faced with the client, the carrier, and the attorneys.
Back to topLa Tonya Darby, RCM&D/SISCO
Joe Duncan, Clark, May, Price, Lawley, Duncan & Paul LLC
Elaine Fresch, Hawkins Parnell & Young, LLP
Phyllis Modlin, Markel Service, Incorporated
This roundtable will address managing product liability exposure in construction litigation. Although sometimes intertwined with faulty workmanship, product manufacturers, suppliers and distributors have unique exposure created by the strict liability, breach of warranty and negligent design and manufacturing claims that they face. The panel will discuss the classic battle between an installer and a product manufacturer/supplier. Defense and coverage strategies will be explored.
Back to topThomas Maroney, Chubb
Lee Sheridan, Ironshore Insurance Company
Darrell Whiteley, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
This session will discuss how to most effectively use ACA to reduce Plaintiffs claims in personal injury litigation. We will provide a plan to defend against claims for future medical costs and loss of health insurance.
Back to topLaura Burke, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
Marissa Olsen, Aspen Insurance
Stuart Panensky, FisherBroyles, LLP
David Rock, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
We will discuss the nature of cyber risk and hear how policyholders plan, prevent, protect and detect unauthorized access to data. We will explore the mechanics of data breach response and how different situations warrant different responses. Finally, we will explore legal issues that arise and how cyber claims are generally handled.
Back to topKatie Barker, RiverStone Resources LLC
John Felice, Hermes, Netburn, O'Connor & Spearing
David Goldman, Governo Law Firm LLC
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate. When most people hear the word talc, they think about baby powder. While this may sound harmless, one should never underestimate the creativity of the asbestos plaintiffs' bar. With so many traditional defendants filing for bankruptcy protection in the face of seemingly never-ending asbestos litigation, plaintiff attorneys have set their sights on companies that either mined, manufactured, or distributed products with asbestos-containing talc. We will discuss the science behind the allegations concerning asbestos-containing talc, the types of products potentially implicated, recent verdicts, and strategies for defending your talc client. So join us for this lively discussion and let's talc!
Back to topMurphy Burke, Zurich North America
Jonathan M. Kuller, Self Employed
Michael LaFond, Pekin Insurance Company
Examine current trends and identify the means to maximize valid privilege claims. Distinctions between factual investigation and strategic legal analysis will be explored. Distinctions between first party and third party claims and the resultant impact on privilege will be evaluated. Examples of successful (and unsuccessful) assertions of privilege will be analyzed. The group will also examine the discovery treatment of reserves and underwriting materials.
Back to topJonathan Barger, Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP
Dan McLeod, Liberty Mutual Canada
Amy O'Rorke, Sedgwick
Builder's risk claims are often complex, involving a variety of issues and requiring multiple areas of expertise. Managing a builder's risk claim requires an understanding of the policy, an investigation into the cause of the loss and extent of the damage, the retention of the proper experts, and an analysis of the policy coverage, exclusions and valuation provisions in light of the results of the investigation. This session will feature a hypothetical builder's risk claim, which will allow the audience to discuss, debate, and work through the issues that arise in a builder's risk claim.
Back to topWilliam Findle, Henderson Brothers
Patricia Holden, Cipriani & Werner, PC
Michael Markey, Chubb
Andy Smith, Encova Insurance
Gene A. Weisberg, GladstoneWeisberg ALC
Examine some of the costliest and creepiest insurance fraud cases over the course of the last year to discuss what classic types of insurance fraud continue to plague carriers and law enforcement alike, what types of fraud claims are trending or emerging, and the tools and techniques that were used in the detection and prosecution of these noteworthy and often notorious claims.
Back to topDion Cominos, Gordon & Rees LLP
Nicholas Conca, Markel Service, Incorporated
Laura Cornish, Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp.
Larry Goanos, Andros Risk Services
Fiona Zhang, Advisen Ltd.
The legal services industry is presently on the cusp of incorporating macro analytics and performance statistics as both a predictive and an evaluative tool in the field of litigation management. This probing session will explore the cutting edge ways in which these new and transformative approaches will profoundly affect counsel, clients and the profession alike in the coming years both in terms of the way services are performed and the way in which they are measured/purchased.
Back to topJoseph Pitstick, BMW Financial Services NA, LLC
Michael Sayne, Pilot Travel Centers LLC
James Wright, Butler, Vines & Babb
Your plane has landed at your connection, you check you messages. The FBI has arrived at your office and the company needs to know what to do. This roundtable will discuss how to handle crisis situations where a wrong move can potentially cost a lot of money or even have criminal repercussions.
Back to topMary Haefer, CapSpecialty
Craig Hartsuyker, Farmers Insurance Exchange
John Sparks, Fowler Hirtzel McNulty & Spaulding, LLP
Brad Spicer, Cincinnati Insurance Company
Vincent Venturella, Wolters Kluwer, ELM Solutions
Daniel Winkler, Westfield Insurance
Insurers are honing their panels – often times refining them to include key partners and proven practice area experts – in order to best manage their claims litigation activities, with an eye towards tightly controlling legal spend and strengthening relationships with key firms in critical practice areas and jurisdictions. This session covers key concepts and practices that can inform and mold advanced panel management and performance management initiatives. We will explore how measuring firm performance using a holistic mix of objective and subjective data is a key factor in successful panel management.
Back to topSusan M. Clemson, Berkley Luxury Group
Ryan Gillespie, Nationwide Insurance Company
Matt McColley, KW Specialty Insurance Company
Steven Weiner, Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP
Have you made clear to your counsel what you want and /need from them? Do the claims professionals that counsel deal with always understand what counsel needs? Have both sides explained what counsel is expected to do (and not do)? This is more than simply sending out (and agreeing to adhere to) billing/claim handling guidelines. This speaks more to the elements of this relationship that are crucial to make the overall results achieved – qualitatively, quantitatively, strategically, and economically beneficial. This roundtable discussion will explore both sides of these issues, presented in a point/counter point format.
Back to topTeresa Beck, Klinedinst PC
Mitch Jones, Sedgwick
Valerie T. Matherne, Courington, Kiefer, Sommers, Marullo & Matherne, L.L.C.
Alan Parker, Special Claims Services, Inc
This roundtable will discuss the basics of the plaintiff bar's reptile program, and assess verdicts reported by the reptile program as reptile verdicts. The group will discuss whether a reptile effect was present or not based on analysis of the facts, liability, and damages. Participants will be provided background facts of 2015 Reptile verdicts and asked to assess verdict ranges and comparative fault. Participants will assess whether verdicts were within ranges expected or whether a reptile enhancement of the verdicts in each case was present, and what can be done to offset such tactics by claim resolution professionals and defense counsel.
Back to topJeanine Clark, Margolis Edelstein
Carolyn Finch, Coaction Specialty Management Company
Julia Manganaro, Navigators, A Brand of The Hartford
Patrick Wylie, Davis Rothwell Earle & Xóchihua P.C.
Consumers are increasingly health-conscious about the consumption of food and nutritional products. This translates to immense growth within the nutritional supplement, nutraceutical, and specialty food markets. Manufacturers and distributors have responded to the nutritional and environmental/preferences of their consumers. We can expect a corresponding increase in claims/litigation. This session will address parallels and differences with traditional pharmaceutical litigation.
Back to topDennis Galvin, Argo Group US
Regan Katz, Wortham Insurance and Risk Management
Dax Watson, Lipson Neilson P.C.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau came into effect in 2010, with its enforcement division ramping up over the last year. The CFPB's regulatory arm will have a significant impact in the professional liability world, and for the first time since its inception in 1974 there will be significant RESPA oversight. RESPA extends to settlement service providers and prohibits certain financial kickbacks among these providers. To date, there has been more than $55 millions in fines ordered for RESPA violations (mostly in the last 12 months) and with a new office opening on the west coast, those fines could double and/or triple over the next year. Standard E&O policies do not cover fines and penaltie (leaving huge exposure for the insured) and have limited sub-limit coverage for the retention of an attorney to defend regulatory matters. The session will focus on risk reduction analysis for those professionals facing CFPB scrutiny and assess how the CFPB will affect future E&O policies and coverage as this regulatory body continues to expand its reach.
Back to topPeter Biging, Goldberg Segalla LLP
Sally Combs, Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
Steven McMannon, CNA Insurance
Dean Milber, Lancer Claims
Kim Noble, Applied Financial Lines
As a claim resolution professional or defense attorney involved in professional liability claims, there may be times when you are confronted with claims involving clear misconduct, credible allegations of fraud, intentional misconduct, or otherwise malicious and utterly indefensible behavior. When confronted with these claims, you will immediately face potential coverage issues, regulatory concerns, and ethical concerns and considerations with regard to the tripartite relationship, as well as moral concerns with regard to defending and protecting the individuals/entities alleged to have been involved in same from exposure. Managing these various issues and concerns can be a delicate balancing act, requiring a careful consideration of the issues presented on multiple levels, and creative litigation strategies. This session will explore the moral, ethical, and strategic considerations to be balanced in successfully handling the seemingly indefensible professional liability claim.
Back to topClaudia Costa, Gordon & Rees LLP
Martetta Thompson, Hiscox
Jennifer Weinstein, Intact Insurance Specialty Solutions
Pamela Woodside, Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons LLP
Thanks to Laverne Cox, the first Emmy-nominated transgender actress in the TV show Orange is the New Black, issues affecting transgender individuals, including workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation, have come to the forefront of employment litigation. This session will examine potential EPL issues likely to face employers of transgender individuals, including common pitfalls and their potential ramifications. The session will also address claims handling and coverage issues that may be involved in these types of cases.
Back to topMurielle Arn, Graebel Companies, Inc
James DeRosa, JDi Data
W. Brett Mason, Stone Pigman Walther Wittmann L.L.C.
Avoiding High Stakes Penalties and Loss of Government Contracts: An in depth discussion of the complex web of OFAC and BIS regulations, compliance, penalties and enforcement that can snare even the well informed. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on US foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States. The U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security advances U.S. national security, foreign policy, and economic objectives by ensuring an effective export control and treaty compliance system. Penalties and settlements in 2015 already total $270,000,000. CLM participants will receive practical tips, best practices and solutions from three different perspectives on how to identify, avoid and/or reduce risk, maintain compliance, and mitigate potential penalties.
Back to topJ. Russell Goudelock, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC (MGC)
Michael Mattix, Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange
Robert McNemar, Ameritrust
Many jurisdictions have enacted legislation to minimize recoveries to the claimant’s bar in workers' compensation claims. The plaintiff’s bar has sought to maintain its revenue stream by filing suits against the employer outside the workers' compensation system. Traditionally, the workers' compensation laws in the various states afforded virtually complete protection against such litigation through the exclusive remedy doctrine. The roundtable will trace the expansion of traditional exceptions to the exclusive remedy doctrine (third-party liability, dual capacity and intentional torts) to litigation centered on violations of the RICO Act, OSHA violations, bad faith claims handling, violations of various state constitutional or statutory provisions, workplace violence and retaliatory discharge.
Back to topDwayne Hermes, Hermes Law, P.C.
Dewayne Mundell, Next Insurance
Michael Zeoli, IAT Insurance Group
How can law firms and insurance carriers build and maintain better partnerships? Does use of technology and metrics translate to a more valuable partnership? To what extent should the services of law firms be considered a commodity? Participants in this roundtable discussion will have the opportunity to ask questions, share thoughts and ultimately walk away with valuable ideas to implement in their own businesses.
Back to topMelissa Demmon, Sompo International Insurance
Janice DiGennaro, Rivkin Radler LLP
Joseph Garin, Lipson Neilson P.C.
Thomas Sheffield, QBE Insurance
Beginning in 2008, several mega law firms imploded. Law firm failures result from a variety of factors but are most common during troubled economic times. When a law firm collapses, state bar associations, receivers and bankruptcy trustees are tasked with the obligations to wind down and dissolve in an orderly fashion. The dissolution process is messy and further complicated by claims and ethical issues. This roundtable will examine the causes of collapse and the issues confronting the Receiver or Trustee in winding up the affairs of the law firm.
Back to topMark Bernstein, HUB International
Jeff Eberhard, Smith Freed & Eberhard
J. Thaddeus Eckenrode, Eckenrode-Maupin
Caryn Siebert, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
This discussion will focus on how these new legal concepts (via Supreme Court decisions and new legislation) will affect the way in which tort/injury/death claims may be evaluated in the future and the types of unique new claims we can expect. Now that same-sex marriage is the law of the land, that will obviously open up a new group of litigants in wrongful death cases, as well as consortium claims. With open carry, we may see a variety of new tort claims. Now that marijuana has been legalized in some states, there may be an increase in tort claims related to impairment issues. We will examine how new legislation and new laws have the potential to change the landscape of tort claims generally, so that claim resolution professionals and defense counsel can plan ahead for possible new issues and potential liability exposures.
Back to topHenrietta Hinojosa, National Claim Services Inc.
Richard Righi, Righi Fitch Law Group
Mark Scheer, Scheer Law PLLC
Ralph Woodard, Navigators, A Brand of The Hartford
Lee Wright, Tokio Marine HCC
Consent judgments are on the rise in construction defect cases because the standard operating procedures for insurers upon receipt of a direct tender is to issue a boiler plate reservation of right letter. In days gone by, reservation of rights letters served to protect the insurer from uncovered claims and inform the insured about available coverage. The contrary is now true. In certain jurisdictions, providing a defense subject to a reservation of rights serves as a bad faith trigger and results in unanticipated and unintended exposure to the insurer. This session will provide a multijurisdictional overview of consent judgments.
Back to topElizabeth Ganiere, McDermott
Steven Henning, Suite 200 Solutions
Chad Layton, Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney, Ltd.
Address the practical and cost-effective steps that a company (and its legal counsel) can take now that will not only minimize the threat or likelihood of a cyber event, but that will also ensure the company is better prepared to manage a cyber event. The discussion will focus on areas such as employee training, cost-effective strategies for handling technology-related matters, ensuring that business contracts provide appropriate protection, and other best practices and preparedness techniques. This session will also discuss the formation of an emergency response or breach team, including who should be part of that team and the steps that such a team must take in response to a cyber event.
Back to topLarry Brown, Epiq
Clifton Dutton, Dutton, LLC
Nicholas Martin, Navigators, A Brand of The Hartford
Marc Milano, BB&T Bank
R. Gaylord Smith, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
With discovery being the most expensive and riskiest stage of any litigation, learning how to effectively manage the process can help control costs and reduce potential risk. The amount of data in question in today’s litigation can be overwhelming, and ensuring all data is properly collected and reviewed can be daunting. Don’t fear, we are here to discuss defensible processes for collecting and managing data, vendor and law firm selection, and procedures claim resolution professionals can implement with outside counsel for a consistent result.
Back to topBrian S. Braunstein, Enterprise Holdings, Inc.
Dennis Franchetti, NLC Insurance Companies
Marcia Nigro, Sedgwick
Lauren D. Wilkins, Langlois, Wilkins, Furtado & Metcalf, P.C.
Pauline Will, Bennett Schechter Arcuri & Will LLP
This session will explore the tripartite relationship between the insurer, insured, and counsel. We will use a case study to show how easy it is to forget whose interest is paramount. The session will address the ethical issues that arise when defending pursuant to the terms of an insurance policy. We will discuss the duty to the client, potential conflicts of interest, the role of the insurer, TPA and counsel from the inception of the claim through trial. This session will also review the contractual relationship between the parties,confidentiality and ethical considerations. Both personal and corporate interest will be discussed.
Back to topJon Carnes, Chubb
Lisa Manzer, Skyward Specialty Insurance
Maureen R. O'Connor, Lucas and Cavalier, LLC
Due to challenges and issues facing our industry as it pertains to bad faith claims, this roundtable will share insights from various points of view into recent case law affecting the scope of discovery as it pertains to bad faith claims, highlighting court decisions broadening the scope of communications and information protected by attorney client privilege and the work product doctrine. Specifically, courts have been narrowing the scope of an adjuster's testimony during depositions and limiting the scope of claims manuals and training materials that may be discoverable. These recent decisions are extremely advantageous to those defending bad faith claims.
Back to topRichard Dugan, Cincinnati Insurance Company
Andrew Smith, Rolfes Henry Co., LPA
Vincent Trimarchi, Sompo International Insurance
Irene Yesowitch, Self Employed
New technology and business enterprises, including ride-sharing, Airbnb, legalized marijuana, Bitcoin, drones, self-driving cars, and cybersquatting are presenting new issues for the industry. This session will cover insurance coverage and litigation issues associated with these new businesses.
Back to topMichelle Lorenz, Skyward Specialty Insurance
Neil Selman, Selman Breitman
Jay Sever, Phelps Dunbar
Nelson Tavares, W.R. Berkley Corporation
In a majority of states, a reservation of rights can cost the carrier the right to appoint panel counsel and thereby control the defense, often leading to problems with case evaluation, quality of representation, reporting, and increased expenses. This interactive discussion will focus on the factors that should be considered before issuing a reservation, what strategic decisions the insured and insurer should consider if a reservation is issued, and throughout the entire process, defining the role of defense counsel and the ethical issues they must confront all along the way.
Back to topAlan Freisleben, Freisleben Law Group
Jeanette Hernandez, Ringler
Robert T. Johnson, Catalytic Claims Services
Robert Olson, Greines Martin Stein & Richland LLP
Alan Ronson, Markel Service, Incorporated
Eleftherios Stefas, Argo Pro
Recent decisions have expanded insurance coverage available for liability acquired in the course of mergers and acquisitions. Our roundtable will dicuss thoughts on managing this emerging risk given the wave of consolidations in the business world.
Back to topRobert Abramson, Kopka Pinkus Dolin
Jorey Chernett, Authentic4D
John Franks, Infinity Insurance Company
Princess Spencer-Kuc, Renue Systems of Indiana
Insurance fraud is at an all-time high. There is no better example than Dr. Farid Fata, the Michigan oncologist convicted of misdiagnosing hundreds of patients to defraud insurance companies. Fortunately, he was caught. We will explore creative ways to expose fraud in the pre-suit stage to reduce litigation costs, and examine innovative 3D technology, which has the potential to undermine the over reading of MRIs.
Back to topThomas Best, Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.
Christopher Riggs, Crawford & Company
Daniel Santaniello, Luks, Santaniello, Petrillo & Cohen
Cathy Zwaan, USLI
In an age of data transparency, new analytic tools and e-billing data allow carriers and panel counsel to assess performance, efficiency, severity, and strategy across all lines of litigation. There are a gamut of metrics, and everyone is asking for them. We will identify the most useful metrics and analytical approaches to data, and processes put in place that led to reduction in litigation spend, yielding budget improvements, efficiency and compliance with client guidelines. The session will map out the critical metrics and how they may be used to realize claim inroads.
Back to topDaniel Hecht, Sompo International Insurance
Hillard Sterling, Clausen Miller
Doug Worth, Willis Towers Watson
Laura ZAROSKI MCVICKER, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Data breaches are commonplace, as is the litigation that follows. It is critical to use the attorney-client privilege to protect information generated before and after breaches. That information – including spontaneous emails and texts – often memorializes problems before breaches and during the scramble fix them. As a result, this information is targeted in discovery by adversaries, who want to turn these often-unflattering documents into exhibits and leverage to exact large settlements. Our roundtable will discuss practical tips to help use the attorney-client privilege to protect this information from disclosure.
Back to topGreg Gilliam, Schools of Ohio Risk Sharing Authority (SORSA)
Alonzo Johnson, City of North Las Vegas
Craig Pelini, Pelini, Campbell & Williams, LLC
Todd Zimmerman, Rohrbachers Cron Manahan Trimble & Zimmerman
In today's round-the-clock news environment, public entities and businesses face challenges when addressing the media following crisis or catastrophic events. The public wants to know, and the press will ask. How the responses are framed can be informative and reassuring; or they can be haphazard and inconsistent. The responses may also have direct impact on legal liability issues in litigation. This session will offer attendees actual case examples of crisis events that involved media interaction between the entities or businesses, and the responses—good or bad, as well as, offer perspectives of different experiences in these type cases, and the legal liability ramifications and solutions.
Back to topTarush Anand, McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC
Samantha Bart, USI Insurance Services
Patricia Baxter, Morgan & Akins, PLLC
Larry Beemer, Tokio Marine HCC
In today's global economy, with manufacturers and distributors located across the globe, effectively defending and tendering a product liability claim has become increasingly more problematic. Gaining the attention and cooperation of foreign manufacturers and distributors is often vital to a substantive defense of the design, manufacturing and failure to warn claims, and yet jurisdictional and cultural differences often impede the same, further affecting an insured's pure exposure and the ability to settle a claim. In this session, we identify these key challenges and explore practical resolutions, from both the risk management and claims handler perspectives, in order to reduce and/or eliminate exposure.
Back to topEric Fitzgerald, McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC (MGC)
Erika Nelson, Allied World Assurance Company, Ltd.
Caryn Silverman, Sompo International Insurance
Harold Weston, Georgia State University
This course will examine the ethical pitfalls that claims professionals and defense attorneys can encounter when defending claims under eroding limits professional liability policies. We will discuss three scenarios with special consideration to the tensions arising between the insurer and the insured in these scenarios and whether certain practices can give rise to bad faith claims. Attendees will assume alternating roles as claims professionals, insureds and panel and personal counsel in several hypothetical exercises.
Back to topChris Nardi, Arch Insurance Group Inc.
John O'Connor, Sompo International Insurance
Michael Zigelman, Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP
This session is an introduction into reinsurance, the support provided to an insurance company (the ceding company) by the reinsurer and the complexities of the reinsurance coverage in the event of a large or complex loss, or an industry event. We will highlight why it is that reinsurance claims professionals are always the highlight of a party with interesting discussions that span our world of claims and insurance losses!
Back to topJeffrey Benedict, Church Mutual Insurance Company
Scott Green, Goldberg Segalla LLP
Cassandra Jean-Baptiste, Starr Adjustment Services, Inc.
Christian Novay, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP
Religious Institutions are unique in the eyes of the law and, correspondingly, require leadership and counsel that understand these distinctions. In the context of employment discrimination litigation, the ministerial exception applies to shield religious institutions from scrutiny in their employment-based decisions when the employee in question is expected to personify the institution's religious beliefs. Participants will review the current state of the law by examining decisions applying the ministerial exception since SCOTUS 2012 Hosanna-Tabor decision. The group will discuss whether the exception strikes a proper and workable balance between autonomy in employment based decision-making and employee protections and how the law affects internal decision making.
Back to topRonald Harrell, Catalina U.S. Insurance Services
Laurence J. Rabinovich, Barclay Damon, LLP
Tamara Warn, Superior Risk Management
The classification of owner operators as independent contractors of the motor carriers that dispatch them, is central to the business model of many trucking companies around the country. That model is now under siege. The Department of Labor recently issued a policy statement that declares most workers should be considered employees, and various think tanks and politically active entities have focused attention on the trucking industry as one in which misrepresentation is rife. Case law on the topic continues to be mixed and some companies have attempted to address the problem by moving from one state to another. We will look at the situation from various perspectives and in various contexts.
Back to topWilliam Austill, Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.
Patricia Brookey, PMA Companies
Julie Fortune, Self Employed
Mark Pew, Preferred Medical Network
Medical care in workers' compensation often includes treatment not considered in a health insurance/non-litigation setting, for example compounded drugs focused on topical creams for pain management. The session will cover the practical use of treatment guidelines and other tools to see that necessary treatment is provided, while avoiding excessive or clinically inappropriate services. We will examine the use of outcome predictors to prevent medical practitioners from performing unnecessary and counterproductive treatments and surgeries. The discussion will focus on the various options for effectively using these predictors in litigated claims, thereby sparing the injured worker from the potential harm caused by such treatments and avoiding the unnecessary and often substantial expense.
Back to topBijan Bijarchi, Sedgwick
Michelle Dadisman, BBA Aviation USA, Inc.
Niki Ingram, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin
Mac Kendall, The Redwoods Group, Inc.
Kimberly Lorenz, Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap, P.A.
Julie Sfurm, Elkay Manufacturing Company
Crucial to successful claim handling and eventual litigation is understanding the key facts in a case. Through this session, we will discuss the essential information to be gathered through an incident report from both the claims and litigation perspectives, as well as how this information affects the path of a claim. Specific attention will be given to special concerns for premises liability, transportation claims, retail/hospitality claims, and claims involving minors, as well as spoliation of evidence.
Back to topBreak out your favorite parachute pants and members only jackets – reception, dinner and live entertainment! (included in the registration fee)
Back to topChristopher Barnes, Zurich North America
Dan Berman, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP
Hedy Linette Ranieri, Berkley Life Sciences and Berkley Technology Underwriters
Andrew Pinkes, Self Employed
Ann Schnure, Consumer Health Connections, LLC
Join us for an engaging session with Chief Claims Officers as we dive into the present and future of claims management and resolution. These top industry leaders will offer their candid thoughts on the state of claims management, trends in claims resolution, strategies for improving claims handling to obtain optimal results while reducing legal spend, and the rising impact of data analytics, alternative fee agreements and other litigation tools. This panel will provide the blueprint for those involved in all aspects of claims resolution.
Back to topChristopher McDonald, Self Employed
Gregory McKenna, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Michael Owen, RiverStone Resources LLC
Jeffrey Schneider, Catholic Mutual Group
Alternative Fee Arrangements (AFAs) create certainty, but can also raise important ethical issues for carriers and law firms. This roundtable will focus on current trends in the legal industry, in addition to successful ideas that are shaping AFAs from the perspective of insurance carriers, in-house counsel and outside counsel.
Back to topMitchell Dane-Henry, Sprouts Farmers Market
Richard E. King, Melchiode Marks King LLC
Sean McDonough, Wilson Elser
Samit Shah, BitSight Technologies
Stephen Truono, NFI Industries
Using the backdrop of three hypothetical catastrophic events, we will explore what a company can do to prepare and react to such an event to protect the company from financial and reputation losses. The roundtable will discuss how to deal with the media to get the right positive message to the public, methods to improve the chances of preventing the event from reoccurring, and maintaining trust. They will also discuss communications with employees about the crisis' effect on their jobs.
Back to topHoward Franco, Collins + Collins LLP
Diana Rich, Foundation Building Materials, LLC
Caryn Siebert, Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc.
Sharpen your claims resolution skills in this interactive session. Participants in will learn the facts of a slip and fall accident with a serious injury. Evidence needs to be preserved, statements taken, photographs and video. Claim resolution professionals must think on their feet and prepare for the inevitable claim to follow.
Back to topEvynne Grover, QBE Insurance
Shari Claire Lewis, Rivkin Radler LLP
Traci McGuire, Ameritrust
This session will explore the types of claims that may be anticipated in the event of a cyber-breach incident that includes loss of client information that was entrusted to the professional. We will explore the impact on professionals of evolving cyber-breach litigation issues, such as whether each plaintiff must show individual, actual damages, the application of mass tort practice to data breach litigation and the extent to which plaintiffs can successfully pigeon hole their claims into existing privacy rights law or create privacy rights that were not previously recognized. The roundtable is intended to provoke creative discussion among participants engaged in cyber liability, professional liability or anyone with confidential data on their computer systems about the claims that may be anticipated in the event of a cyber-breach event.
Back to topJim Abbott, JMA Global
Dan Brunson, Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP
Ronna Ruppelt, CLM
Bharat Varadachari, HeplerBroom LLC
This roundtable will focus on recent trends by carriers to hold their insureds accountable and present the defense of a claim as a team. Concepts discussed will include whether the law and/or the insurance policy itself require that the insured owes the carrier a duty to act in good faith, and If the insured fails to do so, resulting in the interference with the handling of the claim, then the carrier is legally entitled to damages. The session will examine how different jurisdictions have addressed this potential cause of action and whether the trends suggest that it will pick up momentum going forward.
Back to topVincent Beilman, Wood Smith Henning & Berman LLP
Hilary Borow, Winstead PC
Anne Kevlin, Clausen Miller
Andrew Mitchell, W/R/B Underwriting
This roundtable will offer perspectives on the exponential growth of assignment of benefit property claims, which arise most often in the context of wind, hail, and water damage. The group will draw on their diverse backgrounds to offer strategies for managing these challenging claims from initial intake through efficient resolution. In an interactive format, the group will discuss common assignment of benefit scenarios in various states, the prevention of fraud, effective enterprise-wide approaches, and emerging law as it relates to the rights of insured and assignees.
Back to topCynthia Garbrecht, Roanoke Insurance Group Inc.
Robert Reeb, Marwedel, Minichello & Reeb, P.C.
Karen Rzeszutko, Roanoke Insurance Group Inc.
While fraud and theft have been around forever, the fast pace of technology has added new challenges. The good guys have historically played catch up and with the rapidly changing times in this social and technological era, the industry needs to keep abreast of the different faces of fraud and theft. In order to take appropriate measures to solve and guard against becoming victims, we need to collectively have the ability to first recognize and understand the problems. This session will address and discuss from the legal, insurance, investigative, and law enforcement aspects the current trends, their negative effects if ignored, and the preparation / education needed to effectively combat them.
Back to topElizabeth Fitch, Righi Fitch Law Group
Pauline Hecker, United Pacific
Mary Ann Vorndran, AXIS Specialty US Services Inc
Cultural legacies are powerful forces. They persist generation after generation and play a key role in directing attitudes and behavior. Success comes to those who have the strength and presence of mind to seize opportunities. What do a cop, cowgirl, surfer, and astronaut have in common? They have taken stock of their family legacies and life experiences and dedicated themselves to developing character traits that have empowered and sustained them throughout their careers. This session will focus on leadership lessons that are timeless and universal. Women leaders in the risk management industry face the same hurdles that cops, cowgirls, surfers, and astronauts face. The same character traits that have served these women well will also serve women leaders today to navigate corporate culture and fulfill their career potential.
Back to topCynthia Heaney, GB Specialty (Division of Gallagher Bassett)
Crystal Ivy, AmTrust Group
Irwin R. Kramer, Kramer & Connolly
David Pisanic, David A. Pisanic and Associates
Defense counsel may define winning a case in terms of dismissals, defense verdicts, or settlements at the close of discovery. But claims managers concerned with the expense and length of litigation may have different objectives. As important as it may be to define our objectives, we often overlook this topic when cases are assigned. In this session, we will discuss differing definitions of winning from the perspectives of carriers, their policyholders and their counsel.
Back to topSteven Henning, Suite 200 Solutions
Nicky Mukerji, Self Employed
John Petrycki, Turner, O'Mara, Donnelly & Petrycki, PC
Get ready to be amazed by the future of risk management! This session brings to us some of the most compelling and sophisticated technologies of today which will most likely be essential tools for the Risk Manager of 2025. Through role-play, this session will lay out business problems for the future risk manager and show how technology will assist with solutions.
Back to topMichael Baumel, Old Republic Insurance Company
Jarret Lewis, The Hartford
Rondiene Novitz, Cruser, Mitchell, Novitz, Sanchez, Gaston & Zimet LLP
There are many tools to consider when implementing a litigation management plan for your company especially if the focus is effective cost containment. One of the most significant issues is controlling legal and indemnity cost. This roundtable will discuss the pros and cons of each tool and the decision making process that should be reviewed before reaching a conclusion.
Back to topScott Bell, Liberty Mutual
Seth Firmender, The Lane Construction Corporation
Donald Liskov, Liberty Mutual
Deborah Saunders, Comcast NBCUniversal
The key to any effective partnership between an insurer or TPA and the insured/customer is to establish and maintain a collaborative approach in identifying and implementing strategies that best advance the customer’s litigation needs pre and post suit. In doing so, the parties should discuss emerging practices and trends that may enhance the quantitative and qualitative oversight of firms and the customer’s litigation program. The focus of this session will be an interactive look at best practices and approaches from the Risk Manager and Insurer/ TPA perspectives.
Jonathan Gerdes, Frank Crum Insurance
Jerry Hamilton, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP
Claire Rush, Barry, McTiernan & Moore
Louis (Ray) Wood, Rimkus Consulting Group, Inc.
Courts are increasingly holding that store owners can be held liable for criminal acts of third persons on their property where the store owner had notice of prior criminal incidents occurring on their property. These claims can arise out of a multitude of relationships including: landlord – tenant, common carrier – passenger, rental car company – lessee, etc. What courts consider to be notice varies drastically between districts. This roundtable will focus on what constitutes foreseeability of third-party criminal acts and how to address a premise owner’s obligation to provide security.
Back to topMargaret Erife, ESIS
Krista Fowler Acuna, Hamilton, Miller & Birthisel LLP
Angela Springer, Swiss Re
Discussion will focus on new critical areas of product liability claims, especially developments in coverage issues. Topics will include a survey of the new ISO forms applicable to product liability claims, coverage issues for high-profile products (e.g., drones/UAS, 3-D printers, and autonomous vehicles) under new and existing standard forms, frequently litigated “number of occurrences” issue, and the challenges insurers face in recovering from third parties.
Back to topRobert Biagi, The Hartford
Daniel Duello, Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A.
Colleen Perkins, Self Employed
James Schumaker, Westfield Insurance
California has already licensed automated cars that have been involved in at least 11 accidents. Nevada has issued a license for an automated tractor trailer that promises to revolutionize the trucking industry. Warren Buffet has investigated whether automated vehicles would lead him to sell Berkshire Hathaway’s stake in Geico. The prospect of automated vehicles will have a massive impact on the insurance industry. This session will call upon the expertise of individuals in the automobile, insurance, and legal professions to explore the potential impact of automated vehicles on the insurance industry.
Back to topChris Mandel, Self Employed
William Pipkin, Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, P.C.
Marc Salm, Publix Super Markets, Inc.
This session will address alternatives to traditional workers' compensation and the exclusivity doctrine. A number of cases across the country have questioned these alternatives. The roundtable will address whether these options provide the competition needed to improve benefits to injured workers while balancing costs to employers. This session will explore how appropriate alternatives to workers' compensation can foster innovation and competition benefiting both injured workers and employers.
Back to topDisney's Keys to the Kingdom Tour highlights the fascinating history of Walt Disney World Resort and provides backstage access to secret areas of Magic Kingdom Theme Park. This approximately 3-hour walking tour explores the stories behind the remarkable creation and growth of Magic Kingdom Theme Park. Hear the intriguing story of Walt Disney and learn how his innovative ideas, revolutionary visions, creative philosophies and amazing accomplishments brought the Theme Park to life. The journey includes stops at backstage facilities and a variety of favorite attractions.
One unforgettable highlight is a trip below Magic Kingdom Theme Park into the service tunnels known as the Utilidors. This is one urban legend that is absolutely, and almost unbelievably, true—the Guest accessible areas of Magic Kingdom Theme Park are actually on the second floor of a massive structure. The first floor—called the Utilidors—allows Cast Members, deliveries and even trash to be unknowingly transported below Guests' feet as they wait in line for their favorite attraction.
Lunch is not included.
No one under 16 permitted.
Worlds apart from Orlando’s theme parks, but just a short drive away, Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s launch headquarters. Each year, millions of visitors make the trek to this hub of technology and discovery where many of mankind’s greatest accomplishments take place. Tour NASA’s launch and landing facilities, experience live shows and jaw-dropping encounters with massive rockets as well as have the opportunity to meet a real member of NASA’s Astronaut Corps. It’s all what you can expect during an inspiring day at Kennedy Space Center.
There is much to see and do at the Visitor Complex, from live action theatrical shows to an educational Astronaut Encounter briefing. View 10-story high rockets from all eras of space exploration in the Rocket Garden, walk through a full-size Space Shuttle mock-up, enjoy IMAX Theater space films on gigantic five-story screens and see an actual Gemini program capsule on display. Shopping and food concessions are also available here for your enjoyment.
Lunch is not included.
Back to topTake a journey to find out what happens behind-the-scenes at Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom! During this in-depth program, your guests get an insider’s look at conservation, animal nutrition and medicine, animal care, and behavioral studies. Highlights include visits to a backstage animal housing area, the Animal Nutrition Center, the Veterinary Hospital, and a special ride on Kilimanjaro Safaris. The majority of this program takes place behind-the-scenes- there may be no opportunity to view animals. Please note: no photos will be allowed in behind-the-scenes area.
Kilimanjaro Safari: Climb aboard the open-air safari vehicle for an incredible journey through more than 100 acres of African savannah, forest, rivers and rocky hills where hundreds of animals roam free. Unlike any experience this side of the equator, the Kilimanjaro Safari introduces your guests to the splendor and magnificence of creatures both large and small.
Lunch is not included.
No one under 16 permitted.
This tour actually begins en-route to the launch site, as “certified” Eco-Guide narrate the significance of this endangered backwater estuary, a wilderness waterway used by the indigenous Timucuan Indians during their winter hunting. The river is considered a sanctuary for the endangered West Indian Manatees, Bottled-Nose Dolphins, Florida Alligators, American Bald Eagles, Roseate Spoonbills, & Wood Storks; the list of birds & wildlife is huge. Guests take an easy paddle along the shore line of this protected, calm, inland water way from Manatee Cove to the estuary’s wild, uninhabited barrier island. Here we stop for an easy guided nature walk, paddling rest, and stretch before heading back. This is a wonderful adventure & educational experience for all to enjoy.
Lunch is not included.
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